Could It Be You
by gymnast1150
Summary: Cammie just wants to forget about her ex, but in the small town of Roseville, Virginia it's easier said than done. Eventually, when she starts to believe that she will never truly be over him, a new man comes to town and takes all of Roseville by surprise. Zachary Goode has secrets, ones that will put everyone around him in danger, but that doesn't stop Cammie from falling in love.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I had a dream a while back that I found super interesting so I turned it into a story. I started writing it as a book, but then I figured a fanfic would be much more fun ! So about a year ago, I turned this story was a fanfic youtube series for Zashely (Zac Efron and Ashley Tisdale) because I couldn't think of any other couple that was being shipped, and I know like 5-7ish years ago, they were being shipped hardcore during the high school musical phase of Disney. So yeah, I chose them. BUT THEN… I found this site and fell in love with it and all its amazing readers/reviewers (: So since I gave up on the Zashley series a while ago, I decided to try and give it a shot as a Gallagher fanfic. Just a side note, there are no true points of view, just a third person narrator I guess. Also, the characters we have all come to love might be slightly different than they were in the books, but I tried to mirror them as best as possible. A few things might be out of character that might make you go, "Whoa, hold up…*blah blah* would never do that !" But like I said, I had this story written way in advance without any of the Gallagher characters in mind, so some things could be altered to fit their personalities better, but others couldn't be changed because of the storyline. One last and final thing, I had to make up some of my own characters because the Gallagher ones are grown up(ish) and there are some young'uns involved.**

**Alright, on with the story !**

**I am not Ally Carter, nor will I ever be. So I do not own the Gallagher characters, nor will I ever… ):**

* * *

><p>Rebecca Baxter laid in bed with her eyes closed, refusing to get up and start the day. It was only 6 o'clock and it was <em>Monday<em>, causing her to question why she decided to become a teacher in the first place. She knew waking up was hard for her to do, so it wasn't the smartest idea to make an occupation out of it. And yet, there she was, hitting the button on her alarm clock with a limp arm and eyes closed shut about to get out of bed.

It wasn't until the man in bed beside her put his arm around her waist that she opened her eyes.

She turned over to face the still tired man and smiled. "Good morning, fiancé," she said, just like every morning before that for the past few days. She couldn't help how happy she was. She was marrying the man of her dreams. Big, bad, and handsome—the perfect package.

Letting out a small tired chuckle, Grant Newman asked his beautiful bride-to-be, "Are you going to say that every morning?" even though he loved hearing her say it.

"Maybe," she said with a cheeky smile.

"Good," he said, smiling back and fully awake. "I like it."

Bex giggled and kissed the tip of his nose before rolling out of bed. "I'm going to take a shower," she announced, strutting over to their open bathroom door. She stopped in the doorway and leaned against the frame. "Want to join me?" she asked, adding in a wink afterwards.

With a big smile on his face, he answered, "Maybe," like she had done before when the answer was obviously _yes_.

As he threw off the covers and started to get up off the bed, the couple heard a loud noise coming from their kitchen downstairs. It sounded like their metal pots and pans were being handled, and even though it was a new noise, they knew it was the same person who constantly made all the other unwanted ones in the morning.

Grant fell back onto the bed with a sigh, knowing that whatever mood Bex and he were in, it was dead now.

Bex walked across the room to their bedroom door, sympathetically telling her disappointed fiancé, "I'm so sorry."

Irritated with the constant interruptions, Grant argued, "I know she's your best friend and all, but we're getting married, Bex. We're going to need our privacy."

"I know, Grant," she said with a sigh. "Just give her some time. She's still upset about Josh," she quickly defended her heartbroken friend.

Another loud noise echoed up the stairs, causing Grant to shoot Bex a dirty look.

"I'm going to go check on her," she said, leaving the room quickly as Grant pulled a pillow over his head.

While walking into the kitchen, Bex could see her troubled friend wrestling with the pans in the lower cabinet next to the oven, trying to remove a medium sized one from the middle of the stack.

"Hey, Cam," she said as she leaned on the island.

Too focused on removing the pan without much noise—and failing—Cameron Morgan hadn't noticed her best friend make her way through the house and into the same room as her. Still holding the pan, she froze, looking like a child who had just gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Did I wake you?"

"No," Bex answered. "Lucky for you, Grant was already awake. What are you doing here so early?" She moved around the island to stand in front of her friend who didn't have to be up for work for another few hours, waiting for another one of her poor excuses.

"I was craving eggs, but I didn't have any," Cammie said, placing the pan down on the stovetop.

"Cammie, you work at a diner. You can get eggs there," Bex pointed out.

Cammie shrugged, turning away and staring at the pan beside her. Quietly, she answered, "I hate being in that house. There's too many memories…"

Knowing how hard it was for Cammie to wake up every day in a house that used to be "their home," Bex reached out and gave her a hug. "It'll get easier, I promise."

Sarcastically and with tears stinging the backs of her eyes, Cammie argued, "Oh, cause you would know." Backing away from Bex, she rolled her eyes and continued, "Bex, you have the perfect life! The perfect house, the perfect job, the perfect fiancé. You've been with the same guy since high school. You don't know how I feel."

Hurt by the outburst—and frankly, the _personal attack _—Bex defended, "I was just trying to help. You don't need to snap at me," a little harsher than intended.

Feeling incited by the aggressiveness in Bex's voice, Cammie snapped back even ruder. "Well, you're not helping, okay? You're constantly reminding me of your perfect relationship and it makes me sick!"

Enraged by the accusation that she purposefully rubs her engagement in her best friend's face, Bex retaliated. "So now it's my fault you're jealous that I'm engaged while you just got dumped?"

Stunned by how insensitive her so-called "best friend" could be when she was going through the hardest time of her life, Cammie shut down, keeping her mouth closed and fighting back the tears. Although she wanted to say something that would cut just as deep, she couldn't think of anything. Her mind just kept going back to when the love of her life left and her whole world came crashing down.

Thankfully, Grant was suddenly in the doorway to the kitchen and clearing his throat, either to break the ever-growing silent tension or to let the two women know that he was now in their presence and could hear everything they were saying.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," he said, knowing full well that he did mean to. Even though Cammie intruded on his personal life with Bex _a lot_ since her breakup, she was still family to them, especially Bex. So he knew that if he didn't interrupt, the two ladies would regret ruining their friendship with some poor choice of wording during a heated discussion.

"I was just leaving anyway," Cammie said, avoiding eye contact with both him and the women who stood in front of her.

"Cammie," Grant said, letting her know that she didn't have to; that she was welcomed to stay and patch up any damage her and Bex may have done. As reluctant as he was earlier to having her in his house that morning, he was even more reluctant on letting her walk out the door with an unresolved fight lingering between her and Bex.

"It's fine," she said, putting the pan back in the cabinet with a loud _clang_. "I'm actually late for work, so I'm just going to go," she lied, making her way to the back door.

Watching her friend walk past her without even a glance made Bex realize that she had gone too far. Sure, she and Cammie fought sometimes and they both had said some things that they later regretted, but what she had said that morning and how insensitive she had been was unacceptable. She knew she should apologize, but that was something she rarely did. Most of their apologies were unspoken; they knew when the other one was sorry with a single look.

But Cammie wasn't looking at her, and it seemed as if she was going to walk right out the door without doing so.

Quickly before Cammie left, Bex said, softly, "I'll see you later," hoping Cammie would sense her regret and the implied apology.

The only answer she got was the slamming of the door.

After a few short moments of silence, Grant grabbed a cup of coffee and muttered, "Well, that escalated quickly."

With a sigh, Bex turned to him, telling him with a look that she was not amused by his attempt at breaking the tension.

Sipping his coffee, he could feel the tension growing even though Cammie was no longer there. Figuring he wasn't going to be able to make his fiancé feel better, he offered up, "You should start getting ready, sweetie. You don't want to be late."

Upset with herself for letting her anger take over when she knew Cammie was only lashing out due to her depression, Bex only nodded.

Grant took another sip of his coffee, watching the beautiful woman stand there absentmindedly. "So," he started, breaking out into a small smile. "About that shower…"

Finally, Bex showed some kind of response. Letting out a small laugh, she shook her head, amazed at how quickly he could make her feel better without even trying.

* * *

><p>Cammie walked into the diner shortly after leaving Bex's house. Still upset by what was said, she stormed off into the back, drawing everyone's eyes to her. She then returned out front with a waitress apron draped around her waist and an order booklet in her hand.<p>

Noticing how irate Cammie was and how unsettled the customers were by her frenzy, Elizabeth Sutton, one of the waitresses on duty, walked over to her still carrying plates full of breakfast items on a tray. "Um, what are you doing here?" she asked, standing in front of Cammie and cutting her off from proceeding to take a couple's order.

"Bex kicked me out," Cammie answered with a huff.

"So go home. Don't come to work two hours early. This is the third day in a row now, Cammie."

"Liz, you know I can't go home," Cammie said, walking past her smaller friend, who did nothing to stop her.

"Cam, I know I'm one of your best friends and I'm supposed to be supportive, but it's been over a month since Josh called off the wedding. It's time to move on," Liz told her as she followed her behind the counter.

Although she knew her friend was right, like always, she also knew that this feeling wasn't just going to go away because her friends wanted it to. She would never admit it to anybody, but she was starting to believe that she would never get over what happened, much less the man who sent her into this depression.

Suddenly irritated by everyone nagging her to do the impossible, Cammie snapped, "I already have Bex on my back. I don't need you, too, so can we just drop it?"

A few moments past where they stood in silence, Cammie's eyes pleading and Liz's refusing to back down. Finally, Liz looked away, unable to handle seeing the hurt in her friend's eyes any longer. It may have been almost two months since the unfortunate "incident", but Cammie's heart was far from being healed, and Liz for one hated recognizing that.

"Fine," she said, handing Cammie the remaining plates on the tray. "Give these to table two," she ordered.

Without another word, Cammie walked over and placed the two plates on the table. "Who ordered what?" she asked, not caring that she was being the most unprofessional she had ever been.

"Um, I ordered the breakfast burrito," the high school-aged boy said, sliding the plate over to place it in front of him.

"So, you must be the eggs, bacon and hash browns," Cammie said to the girl on the other side of the booth.

She nodded, stunned by the harshness in Cammie's voice, but Cammie didn't bother to apologize. She simply scooted the plate in front of the high schooler and walked away.

Liz, appalled by what she had witnessed, stomped up to her fellow waitress and grabbed her arm, spinning Cammie around quickly and causing the sour expression on her face to grow even more upset.

"You can't go talking to customers like that, Cammie," Liz whisper-shouted. "Those two are a couple of regulars. You can't go chasing them off. Get it together or go home."

Liz had never been so harsh before. Cammie, taken aback by how assertive she was when it came to the diner, had promised to be on her best behavior; no more outbursts.

"Good," Liz said, sighing. Cammie could see how relieved Liz was to not having to be so stern anymore, and she felt bad for putting Liz through that. Liz was a gentle person who hated confrontation and shied away from most altercations. She was smaller than the rest of their friends, resembling a small pixie or fairy with her bright blonde hair and big innocent eyes. She hardly ever raised her voice, but when she did, Cammie knew better than to disobey orders.

"Why don't you go clean the counters?" Liz said before walking away to serve another table. It had sounded like a suggestion, but Cammie knew it was more of command, which could be the same thing in Liz's case.

Behind the counter, Cammie grabbed a damp towel and began wiping down the sticky breakfast-bar-styled countertop. After being asked for a cup of coffee, she set down the towel and made her way over to the coffee machine. The smell of the coffee filled the diner as the fresh batch was brewed, something Cammie always favored about that place. You don't get any more small-town than that, even in a tiny barely-there-town like Roseville, Virginia.

She handed the man at the far end of the counter the hot mug and went back to grab her rag, glancing out the window in the process.

There was a man on a motorcycle parking his bike just outside the door. She stopped to watch as he cut the engine of the Harley and climbed off. It wasn't until he walked through the doors that he took off his helmet, but by then, in order to refrain from being caught staring, Cammie had looked away and begun cleaning the counter again.

The man sat down in front of her, giving her the perfect opportunity to look up. He had dark hair and dark green eyes, and he was wearing a leather jacket over a black shirt where his sunglasses hung from the neckline. He was _extremely_ attractive, and he was staring at Cammie with those enticing dark eyes and sending chills down her back.

"Good morning, can I get you anything?" she asked, willing herself to hold the eye contact no matter how intense it became.

"I'd love some coffee," the man said, putting his helmet on the stool beside him. His voice was rich and smooth, sending another chill down her spine.

As she poured him a cup, she stole quick glances at him to notice little details. He was average height for a male his age, but his shoulders were a bit broader and the t-shirt was snug against the bigger muscles in his chest. His hair was messy and his hands were dirty, almost as if he had been working on a car (or more likely a motorcycle) before coming to the diner. His eyes had some life in them, but it was as if the life was dwindling, like the eyes of an older dog. She had thought that he was too young to look so burnt out, but then she realized that it was just his eyes that were so tired; everything else was young and strong.

When she handed him the cup, though, the tiredness was gone. He thanked her and grabbed the coffee, looking into her eyes and smiling just a bit, causing a spark to appear within the emerald green iris.

She thought that maybe she was wrong—maybe she was projecting herself onto others, because God knows how burnt out and tired of life Cammie was. After dealing with the breakup and trying to move past the depression she was in, she often felt like she could sleep for days on end. And she thought that maybe this new guy knew what that felt like, but that thought had diminished when the spark appeared.

She went back to scrubbing down the counters, noticing how uncomfortable the man sat on the other side of it.

Trying to make the air between them less awkward, she asked him for his name.

"Zach," he said, glancing over his shoulder and staring out the window.

Feeling the need to stay out of his business, she ignored it. After all, people have done stranger things in the diner.

"Where are you from, Zach? Because you're sure not from Roseville."

Nervously, she continued cleaning the same spot on the counter over and over again. Zach glanced down at it for a split second, but didn't say anything.

"I'm traveling from North Carolina," he answered, taking another sip of his coffee.

"What brings you to Virginia?"

He looked at her, then said after a moment of hesitation, "That old town was starting to feel suffocating." He was choosing his words carefully, Cammie noticed, and he thought it through before he spoke. "I had to get out."

Although most people would wonder what exactly made him feel that way, Cammie didn't need an explanation. "I know the feeling," she answered, thinking back to months ago when everyone in town had heard of the breakup and everywhere she went, whispers followed.

That's when she noticed the eyes of the two kids she served moments before glued to the man at the counter. When Zach saw her looking past him, he turned around, locking eyes with the two observers as well.

"Don't take it personally," Cammie said, turning her attention back to Zach. "It's not every day you see someone new around this town."

"Don't worry. I'm used to it," he explained, easing off the stool and grabbing his helmet. "Thank you for the coffee."

"No problem," Cammie said, feeling a bit disappointed that he was heading for the door. "Have a good day, Zach."

Stopping at the door, the mysterious man turned back to the counter. "I'm sorry, I never got your name," he said, running his hand through his hair.

"Cammie," she said, smiling.

He nodded, and gave her a half smile as he echoed, "Have a nice day, Cammie." Then, he was out the door.

Cammie watched as he climbed back onto his motorcycle and checked his surroundings multiple times. Just as he went to put his helmet back on, Cammie caught a glimpse of his eyes one last time, and just like before, the spark was gone.

She knew the meaning behind it, for she had been doing the same thing for the past eight weeks. The spark was an act for everyone to buy into and believe was constantly there. Truth was, though, that it disappeared when the owner thought no one was watching.

Too bad for Zach, Cammie thought that he was someone worth watching, and not because he was the attractive new guy.

But because he was the attractive new guy with something to hide.

And she was determined to find out what.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So I'm hoping there's some mystery going on here, and that you guys are left wondering **_**what's Zach hiding?**_** I'm not going to say what it is cause I want it to be a mystery, BUT I will answer any questions regarding any confusion throughout the story. This chapter may not have been super confusing, but like I said in the pre-A/N I had this whole story already kind of created so I know that it will get confusing at times, so just shoot me any questions now or in future chapters (:**

**Anyway, thanks for reading !**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Anna Fetterman walked down the halls she had traveled through the past ten years of her life; the first four as a student, and the rest as some form of teacher. She stopped in front of the door she had been looking for and knocked, not waiting for a response before opening the door and stepping inside.

Bex looked up from her desk where she was finishing up grading papers that she had promised she would be handing back that day. "Hey, Anna," she said, turning back to her papers in a hurry to finish. She still had two more to read and grade with only half an hour left to do so.

"You will never guess what I just heard," Anna said, closing the door behind her.

"Then I guess you should save us time and just tell me," Bex said without looking up. She hoped that Anna would take the hint that she was busy and needed to be left alone. However, Anna didn't even notice that Bex wasn't paying any attention to her.

"Dillion was fired over the weekend," she announced, more pleased than anything. Anna was never a fan of Dillion Jones ever since he humiliated her in front of the entire class their sophomore year of high school, so finding out that she would no longer have to be working with him was music to her ears. Although, she knew she could handle him if he ever tried to do it again.

"Shut up," Bex said, full attention now hanging on every word Anna said. Anna hardly ever spread rumors or caused drama, so the research papers were going to have to wait.

"He was caught hosting a party for high schoolers and he was serving them beer and dealing them drugs and _everything_!" Anna exclaimed, a smile breaking out across her face. She knew it was wrong to be so happy for his misfortune, but he was the idiot who thought he was indestructible and was sadly mistaken.

"Oh, Dillion," Bex sighed, shaking her head. "Who's going to replace him?"

"It looks like it's just going to be substitutes from here on out."

Still shaking her head, Bex thought about how Dillion always managed to get wrapped up in the wrong situations. She had hoped that becoming a teacher would set him straight considering now he was in charge of giving the next generation knowledge needed to not go down the same path he did. Unfortunately she was wrong. "What about the softball team? Who's going to coach the girls?"

With a slight grin, Anna eyed the British beauty. "You know," she started hinting, "_you_ could always do it."

Even though she has always been one of the best softball players Gallagher had ever had, Bex knew that there was no way she could take on being the coach; not with the wedding coming up so soon. She thought about how softball had changed her life and gave her an escape from the drama of high school, and how devastated she would've been if it had been canceled.

Her eyes light up when she thought of a solution. "I'll ask Cammie! Maybe it will get her out of this mood she's in."

"Speaking of Cam, I stopped by the diner last night and she said you guys got in a fight?" Anna asked, sitting down in one of the student desks in front of Bex even though it was way too small for her to fit.

Feeling guilty about the dispute, Bex looked down at her hands on top of her desk. "Yeah. Did she say anything about having plans?"

Anna shook her head. "No. Why? Did she not come over last night?"

Bex shook her head as well, thinking back to when she went over there to see if Cammie was planning on visiting like she always did and was met with an empty house. "Or this morning," she added, remembering the same outcome she had earlier that day.

Anna gave Bex an accusing look and asked, "What did you do?"

"I may have accused her of being jealous that I'm engaged," Bex said, shying away from the repercussions that Anna was no doubt going to give her.

"Bex! How could you!" Anna exclaimed, worried for her depressed friend who was still going through a hard time trying to get over the love of her life abandoning her.

"It was heat of the moment! I obviously didn't mean it!" Bex said, trying to formulate a reasonable defense. She knew it wasn't a good enough excuse—there _was_ no excuse for what she did to her best friend—but she didn't want people looking at her like she was a monster who purposefully hurt one of the few girls who were like sisters to her.

"Have you apologized?" Anna asked, already knowing she hadn't. Bex wasn't one to show weakness, and although she's been told apologizing sometimes takes more strength, it's still something she has to work on. And Anna for one was not going to let her skip out on such a great opportunity to learn the valuable lesson.

"I've tried calling, but she's ignoring me," Bex said, growing more and more upset. She looked at the clock on the wall, which told her that she now only had ten minutes to grade the last two papers. Knowing she wasn't going to get it done before her first class, she piled them up and placed them in her bag, thinking that she was just disappointing everyone lately.

"Do you think she'll be at dinner tonight?" Anna asked, referring to the _family dinner_ Bex and Grant hosted once a week for all their friends.

Bex shrugged, not wanting to say that she highly doubted Cammie would be there. Feeling she had tried everything and was at a last resort, she asked Anna, "Can you talk to her and try to get her to come?"

Smiling sadly, knowing it must've been killing Bex to know that getting Cammie to come required someone else's interference, she answered, "Of course. It wouldn't be the same without her."

Bex smiled slightly, hope forming in the bottom of her stomach knowing that fragile Anna could get anyone to do anything just because they couldn't say no to her. And although the girls grew up together and have known each other their entire lives, she hoped Cammie hadn't built immunity to Anna's innocence and would agree to come to dinner that night. "Thanks," she said as she heard the familiar noise of students filing into the halls and the slamming of locker doors. The noise only reminded her that it was just the beginning of the day, and Anna wouldn't get to talk to Cam until after all seven periods were over.

The nauseous feeling in her stomach told her that it was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p>"You two are going to be late for school, don't you think?" Cammie asked as she walked up to the booth holding the couple of regulars she served almost every morning. She tried not to be bias towards them considering they were basically what had chased off Zach the day before, but she still had a bit resentment built up.<p>

"We have a late-in, so our first class isn't until second period," the boy explained.

"That way, we can have breakfast together every morning," the girl answered, smiling across the table at the boy who Cammie assumed was her boyfriend.

Feeling slightly bitter about their romantic relationship, Cammie replied, "Well, isn't that sweet…"

As she looked up, she heard the bells ring quietly as the door to the diner opened and Zach walked in. Turning back to the couple quickly, she asked, "Do you want me to give you two some alone time?"

"No, I think we're ready-"

"Okay, take your time," she interrupted the boy, not listening to him. She just wanted to get away so she could talk to the attractive new guy again. She walked up to the breakfast bar's counter where he sat and smiled as she went around to the opposite side.

"Back again?" she asked, still smiling. "Come on, our coffee isn't _that_ good."

"Well, you _are_ the only diner in town," he pointed out, grabbing the mug she was holding out for him.

She suddenly felt slightly embarrassed, realizing that her attempt at flirting went unrecognized. "Right," she said, turning and starting to walk away.

"Are you hiring, by chance?" he asked, stopping her in midstride before she had gotten too far.

She tried not to show her surprise and, for the lack of a better word, disgust. "You want to work at a diner?" She asked in disbelief.

"It's a job," he answered, not acknowledging the skepticism in her voice.

"I can talk to the owner, but trust me, you wouldn't want to work here," she explained as she grabbed a damp rag and began to wipe down the counters for the second time that morning. Talking to Zach always made her nervous, creating the need to do something with her hands to keep her occupied. Looking up at him momentarily, she asked, "What did you do for living back in North Carolina?"

Taking a sip of his coffee, he replied, "I was a teacher. But in a small town like this, I figured there wouldn't be much need of an extra one."

"What did you teach, Professor Zach?" she asked with a small playful smile.

Smiling shyly, he answered, "Middle school English."

Cammie nodded before adding, "What made you choose English?" trying to make as much small talk without it seeming as anything more. Although she actually did want to get to know Zach and everything about him, she wanted it to seem like a natural conversation as opposed to an awkward interview by the creepy stalker waitress.

"I was always good at it. I've been speaking it my whole life so it just kind of came natural to me," he replied, smiling and showing off his perfectly white teeth. There was a sparkle in his eye that wasn't there the last time she saw him as he got on his bike and rode off. Cammie smiled and laughed, noting how much better she liked the spark.

"Why did you become a waitress?" Zach asked as his laughter started calming down. The smile, though, remained on his face, reflecting the same one on Cammie's.

"Well," she started as the smile faded away, "it wasn't my first choice."

As Liz walked by with a full tray of plates, she interrupted, "And it shows, cause she's a really bad one."

"She serves the best coffee at least," Zach said, taking one last sip and slightly smiling at Cammie across the counter., which she returned with a small shy one.

"I got to get going," he said, sliding off the stool and grabbing his helmet.

As Cammie felt herself wanting to stop him in his tracks, she had the strange sense of déjà vu from the morning before when he was leaving and all she wanted was for him to stay and talk a little while longer.

"It was nice seeing you again, Cammie," he said before making his way to the diner's door.

"You, too," she said reluctantly. She couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow as she watched him walk out the door and mount his bike for the second day in a row.

Liz reached out in front of Cammie and grabbed the empty coffee mug, looking at Cammie in the process. "What are you thinking about?" she asked, seeing the contemplation written on her best friend's face.

"He's so different, you know?" Cammie responded, still watching him as he smoothly put on his helmet and start the engine. "He's not like anyone else from around here."

"Sometimes different can be dangerous, Cam."

Shaking her head, Cammie knew this wasn't the case. "No, he's not like that. I can tell," she answered, walking around the counter to go take orders from those sitting at the tables.

"Just be careful," Liz warned, following her. "I don't want to see you get hurt again."

At the indication of what happened with Josh, Cammie hesitated before continuing towards the table in the middle of the diner where a single elderly man sat, reading the morning newspaper. After taking his order, she gave it to the staff in the kitchen in the back, returning to the front of the diner and being met by Liz once again.

"Are you going to dinner tonight?"

"I don't know," Cammie answered, not entirely in the mood to think about spending the evening with Bex. She still hadn't apologized, which upset Cammie even more. Hadn't Bex known how much her remark had hurt her? If so, she didn't do much to fix it and make sure she was okay.

"I bet Bex is worried about you," Liz said, reading her mind. "You staying with me last night probably sent her into cardiac arrest."

Cammie looked at her like she was delusional. "You know Bex. She's fine. She probably didn't even notice."

Liz only shot her a look that said _whatever you say, Cammie_, before walking off to take another tables order, knowing full well that Cammie wasn't going to do it. That girl had been too distracted that morning to do anything, not that she cared. Liz loved working at the diner, whereas Cammie only did it because she never got a degree in anything to do something else with her life. Although they were both capable of so much more, Liz chose the simple life, not needing a lot of drama or a lot of hoopla to keep her entertained, and Cammie was too good at everything to choose just one thing to specialize in—everyone saw her potential except for her, which was what Liz had thought to be her biggest downfall when it came to deciding.

Cammie was a great waitress, despite what Liz had said earlier, and Liz knew it, too. But ever since the whole incident with Josh, Cammie's mind had been all over the place, trying to get into a normal routine without him and trying to maintain a happy disguise, even though Liz and the rest of their group of friends all saw right through it.

Except, Cammie had been getting better, Liz noticed. Her mind wasn't so distraught as often as it had been the past few months, which made Liz extremely happy to see her friend recovering quickly and healthily.

She just feared that the arrival of the new man in town might ruin it all and send Cammie back into the troubled place she was just finally finding her way out of…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey everyone ! So this chapter wasn't very exciting, but basically what I'm doing is trying to still build everyone's backgrounds for you guys without just coming right out and being like "so this person is like this and this is their relationship with Cammie and blah blah blah." So bear with me here while I set up the whole dynamic of their group and give you some insight into everything. I know we're still missing the incredible Macey ! and unfortunately she isn't in the next chapter as of right now… :/ don't bite my head off !**

**If any of you have read my other fanfic, you may have noticed that I included Dillon Jones in both stories basically published at the same time… that was a coincidence I swear lol. I had started writing this chapter for this story with him mentioned in it, and then took a break and was writing for the other story for a few days and completely forgot I even had him in here. But he's not important in this story, I just used his character because he's a Gallagher character and I thought the cameo would be funny (:**

**Shout out time!**

**X2INFIN3TY-B3YONDx:** thank you (: I really appreciate that because I know the story is kind of vague as of right now, so you saying the storyline is great really gives me confidence to keep going ! Just wait…more mysteries and drama will occur and a really big surprise is coming (:

**Soccerlover21:** Here's the update (: Was it soon enough? Lol sorry if my future updates are spaced out a lot… I promise I'm writing every day ! But I have two stories going on and sometimes, my writing includes just bits and pieces of scenes that I think might be good so I don't actually add on to the current chapter I'm writing… but that's my process lol I'll try to update soon though !


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is the longest one of the story, recording at about 4,700 words, so I apologize for that… unless you're like me and love long chapters, then you're welcome (:**

**Also, just a warning, there is some "grown up or mature content" in this chapter… if it doesn't bother you then just ignore this. If it does though, just be weary lol**

**I do not own the Gallagher girls and its characters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Anna sat in the living room, waiting for her oldest friend to get ready so they could go to Bex and Grant's family dinner next door. Although she was smaller and nicer than most of those who grow up in Roseville, Anna was getting extremely impatient knowing Bex was counting on her to bring Cammie to dinner, and the longer she sat there, the more worried she got that Cammie was backing out.

"Cammie, it's dinner at your best friend's house," Anna yelled up the stairs, deciding she couldn't wait any longer. "It should _not_ take you this long to get ready!"

As she strolled down the stairs and into the living room to silence her eager friend, Cammie said, "Anna, could you be any more impatient? Seriously, you've been here for like four minutes."

"We're going to be late," Anna told her, following her into the kitchen. She was always one of the first to arrive at Bex's house, and seeing the clock read past her normal arrival time didn't help with the anxiety.

As Cammie rolled her eyes, she told Anna to give her a second, walking back upstairs to get her purse out of her room. Knowing how crazy Anna was driving her with all the rushing, she slowed down her pace, making sure to check herself out in every mirror she passed and hoping it was driving Anna just as crazy.

Entering the kitchen again, she saw Anna staring out the window towards Bex's house.

"You're lucky Tina isn't there yet," Anna told her, backing away from the glass and facing Cammie. "If we were to arrive later than the one who's usually late-"

"I would never hear the end of it," Cammie interrupted, finishing Anna's supposed threat. Not like it would've mattered to Cammie. Anna couldn't hurt a fly. Opening the door, Cammie told her, "Now let's go. I don't think I can stand anymore of your complaining."

* * *

><p>"Something smells delicious," Grant said, slipping both arms around Bex's waist as she stirred the pasta that was cooking on the stove top. Nuzzling his nose into her neck, he added, "You smell even better."<p>

"Honey, do you not see this hot stove?" Bex asked him, warning him to be careful.

Spinning her around to face him, Grant planted his lips on hers. Pulling her in close and breathing her in, the kiss became more firm, almost as if he had an entirely different appetite than what Bex was preparing for—one that didn't involve everyone else who were coming. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him as he carried her over to the island in the middle of the kitchen, putting her at equal height as him.

As she ran her hands through his hair, he ran his along the back of her waist where the top of her skirt sat.

Grant was just about to call everyone and cancel dinner when the backdoor flew open and Cammie and Anna waltzed in.

"Sorry we're la—whoa!" Anna exclaimed, realizing what she had walked in on.

Cammie took in the scene, then turned to Anna and said, "And you wanted to come earlier."

Bex hopped off the counter, making her way back to the stove to stir the boiling pasta noodles without a word. She felt her cheeks burn red, though, diminishing the need for words anyway.

Grant, still leaning on the counter, growled out, "Seriously, Cammie. Every time!" He wasn't entirely mad at her for interrupting them—_again!_—but he was frustrated that he couldn't get any alone time with his sexy fiancé.

Teasing him, Cammie replied, "It's what best friends do."

"Really?" he asked in a challenging tone as he set plates out on the table. "Because I don't see Jonas ever barging in here."

Setting the pot of spaghetti in the middle of the island where she sat moments before, Bex argued, "Maybe you're just not as close as Cam and I are." She winked across the island at her best friend, who smiled back.

Before Grant could argue back, the back door opened and Tina Walters quickly walked in. "Sorry I'm late," she started to apologize, but stopped once she saw that they were still setting up. "Oh, you haven't started yet."

"There was some delay from our chefs," Anna explained, shooting Grant a look, who responded by kissing Bex's cheek.

Smiling, Bex turned to the newly arrived guest and asked, "How come you were so late, Tina?"

As she sat down, Tina rolled her deep blue eyes and ran her hand through her bright blonde hair, adding in a sigh to show how frustrated she was with the situation. "Nick was complaining to me about replacing Dillon Jones. Sometimes being married to the principal has its downside."

"Where _is_ Nick?" Grant asked, setting the last plate holding garlic bread on the table. "Don't tell me he's leaving me here alone with all you girls."

She quickly defended her overly stressed husband, looking at Grant with pleading eyes and deepening her blue iris, begging in only a way Tina could beg. "He's really stressed, Grant. I told him to stay home and relax. He wasn't going to have fun here, anyways with all his worrying about finding a new English teacher."

"Is Jonas not coming?" Anna asked the begrudgingly only male there, sliding in the seat next to Tina.

Grant shook his head, explaining, "He and Macey are stuck at work."

"And you're not?"

"She's the investigator, I'm just the police officer," he explained, sitting down next to his fiancé and hanging his arm across the back of her chair.

"But you're partners, and you should be helping," Bex reminded him for the third time that night, this time singing in an I-told-you-so kind of way. He looked over at her prideful face, giving her the same look he had already given her that night, silently saying she-doesn't-need-me.

While her best friend and her best friend's fiancé had their own telepathic conversation, Cammie turned away and asked, "Did you say you needed an English teacher?" which was replied with a nod from a food-stuffed-faced Tina. Turning back to Bex, she interrupted and asked, "How come you haven't told me about this?"

Finally looking away from her God-like fiancé, Bex swirled her spaghetti around her fork and replied, "Well, you've been MIA the past two days," trying not to sound as bitter as she was considering she still felt a bit guilty for causing the temporary disappearance. "Besides," she added, hoping she didn't just remind her best friend that she was supposed to be pissed, "it's not something I thought you'd be interested in."

Picking up on the unusualness about it, Anna scrunched up her forehead and asked, "Why _are_ you interested in our need for a new teacher, Cam?"

"Well, there's this guy who's been coming into the diner lately, and-"

Sounding very impressed and only the slightest bit shocked (much less than she actually was), Tina interrupted, saying, "Cammie, there's a guy?"

Regretting her choice of words, Cammie tried to fix her mistake and explain that yes, there was a guy, but no, it was not in that kind of way.

"Well, yeah, but not like-" she barely got out before Bex joined in on the interrogation.

"Is that where you were last night?" she asked as if all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.

"No!" Cammie exclaimed, eyes growing wide and pitch getting higher as she pleaded for everyone to listen so she could explain.

"Ooh, girl, you better spill the details," Tina said, even more excited about leaving her husband alone and going to dinner instead of staying and helping him de-stress like he wanted.

"Guys, he's-"

Cammie once again tried to get out the actual story, but getting interrupted for a final time.

The door flew open again like it had before when Tina barged in late, but this time the appearing figure was small and frail with thin blonde hair and big innocent blue eyes.

"Sorry, guys!" Liz exclaimed, slamming the door behind her. "I was busy and lost track of time."

Jokingly, Grant snorted and teased, "By busy, you mean you were reading or doing some type of research, don't you, Bookworm?"

As she sat down across from him, she glared at the older man who had been her brother since their parents got married back when she was five and he was seven. Maybe it was because they had technically grown up together, but they acted as if they were real brother and sister with all the teasing and the name-calling—something neither of them would ever trade for growing up an only child, but was something neither would ever admit.

"Liz, you work at the diner," Bex stated, ignoring the tongue Liz was sticking out in her brother's direction. "Who's this guy Cammie's interested in?"

"What guy?" Liz asked as she scooped up some spaghetti noodles and slapped them on her plate. Realizing who Bex must've been talking about, she gasped and looked straight at Cammie with curious and widening eyes. "You're interested in Zach?"

"No!" Cammie shouted for the last time, making sure everyone else would remain quiet so she could explain without being interrupted for the fifth time. "We we're talking about English teachers and I started to bring _him_ up because he's new in town and looking for a job and his last one was as a middle school English teacher."

The table grew quiet, and Cammie could tell without anyone saying anything that they were slightly disappointed with the truth of the matter. Cammie took it to mean that they were all just waiting for her to move on from Josh and the wedding, and they had hoped this Zach character was doing just that.

Tina was the first to speak, which didn't surprise Cammie, as she said, "Oh," then quieted down again.

"Well, that's no fun," Anna said, turning back to her food.

Cammie's expression fell, followed by the statement, "Sorry to disappoint," even though she wasn't.

Thinking about the news, Bex furrowed her brow. There was a new teacher in town? Just as they were in need of one? What were the odds?

"Has he ever taught high school?" she asked, still skeptical of the whole thing.

Cammie, shrugged, avoiding anyone's eyes as she played with the food on her plate. "All he said was middle school."

"What do you think, Tina?" Bex asked, turning to her colleague who was hitched to the man in desperate need for a replacement teacher.

"We _do_ need an actual English teacher instead of a temporary substitute," Tina said, thinking out loud. "I'll suggest it to Nick."

A few moments of silence fell over the table before Grant begun a new topic of conversation.

As everyone was eating and talking and laughing, Cammie felt a small smile spread on her lips as she thought about helping the new guy get a job. It grew even wider when she realized he would be working with her best friends in the world, only making it easier for him to fit right in with their group. Before having to explain herself again to her nosey friends, she stopped smiling, hoping no one saw.

Looking up from her plate of food and around at everyone to see if they were watching, she locked eyes with Bex, who only gave her a devious I-know-what-you-were-doing smile.

Of course Bex of all people had to see her.

* * *

><p>Almost a week later at the diner, Cammie walked up to Zach who was sitting in his usual spot at the breakfast bar, eager and excited to tell him the good news.<p>

"You're going to love me," she said as she placed the cup of coffee and the plate of pancakes on the counter in front of him.

Sipping his coffee, he answered, "Why? Did you remember to put cinnamon in my pancakes?"

"No," she answered too quickly. "Well, yes," she corrected herself, then shook her head as to tell him to forget about that. "But that's not it. My friend talked to her husband who's the principal over at the high school and he agreed to setting up an interview with you." She smiled, unable to hide the satisfaction.

It took a moment, but finally the response she was waiting for spread across his face, revealing his perfected smile. With a low chuckle and a sparkle in his eye, he said, "Wow. Thank you so much, Cammie! You didn't have to do that."

"Come on, you were willing to work at a diner," she said, giving him a look. "I'd say you sunk pretty low."

"It wouldn't have been that bad. I would've gotten to work with you," he said, looking up into her blue eyes—the same ones that he'd been dreaming about for the past week and a half. Ever since he showed up in Roseville, those eyes and the woman they belonged to were all he could think about. He knew he was in trouble the moment he saw her, because to be distracted by anything, especially a girl, was dangerous. Especially for him.

Knowing the effect they had on him and the problems that would arise from staring deeply into them, he turned away from her eyes, causing a slightly confused look cross Cammie's face.

"Well, now you get to do what you love," she said, choosing to ignore the sudden mood shift in his facial expression.

Smiling solemnly, he thanked her again.

Feeling the conversation die actually kind of hurt Cammie. She was expecting him to be happier, but he had the smallest hint of sadness wash over his face—so small that if Cammie hadn't been studying his face ever since he came to Roseville, she might not have even seen it. It was almost like a look of shame, but more so.

It was a look of guilt.

And he was trying not to show it.

The ding of the door interrupted her thoughts, causing her to glance up to see who the new customer was.

She walked with purpose, her head held high and her hair bouncing with each step she took. Heads turned, mouths gaped open, and food stopped midair as they watched the beautiful woman in the cop uniform make her way to the breakfast bar where Cammie and Zach sat. She looked as if she owned the place, and felt as if she ruled the town.

That didn't stop Cammie from making her stereotypical cop joke, though.

"Hey, Macey. Did you come for some coffee and donuts?"

"You're lucky I don't arrest you for insulting a cop," Macey McHenry replied, teasing her dear friend and smiling.

"You're not even a cop, you're a detective," Cammie pointed out as Macey closed in on the counter. "You can't arrest me."

"You'd be surprised of what I'm capable of," Macey said as she leaned one arm against the counter, adding in wink in at the man who was sitting next to her.

Remembering that he was there, Cammie introduced the two strangers. "Oh, Macey, this is Zach. Zach this is Detective Macey McHenry."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," Zach said, holding out his hand and looking Macey in the eyes in the most respectful way she had ever seen. Normally when meeting a man for the first time, she was greeted with a sly smile and wandering eyes, making her feel uncomfortable knowing they were looking her up and down. But Zach's eyes remained locked with hers, which was more than refreshing.

"Oh, please. Call me Macey," she told him, grabbing his hand and giving it a small delicate shake. "You're new here, aren't you Zach?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"He just moved here from North Carolina," Cammie explained, seeing as he wasn't going to as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Really?" Macey asked, confused. "Why'd you come here?"

Avoiding her eyes and taking a small sip of his coffee, he answered, "I just needed a change."

Nodding, she glanced at Cammie. Something about his short answers and shifting positions wasn't right in Macey's line of work. Normally, that meant that the person had something to hide, or that he was afraid someone might find out what it was. But then again, maybe people are different in North Carolina.

"Well, welcome to Roseville, Zach," she said, giving him a welcoming smile despite the turn of her stomach. Turning to Cammie, she stated, "I've got to get going. I'd like those donuts and coffee now."

Laughing, Cammie made up a small bag full of donuts, and poured a Styrofoam to-go cup of coffee. As she handed both things over to her friend, she said, "Have a good day, Macey."

Walking away with both hands full, Macey replied, "You, too! You have a nice day too, Zach." Then she pushed through the door backwards and walked out of the diner without waiting for a response.

"We went to high school together," Cammie explained as she rinsed out the now-empty coffee pot. "We've been best friends since sophomore year. Plus, she's our other friend's fiancé's partner on the police force."

"Small world," Zach said, knowing just how small one's world could be.

"Small town," Cammie corrected him, grabbing his empty plate and rinsing it off as well. "Everyone knows everything about everybody in a town like this."

"Sounds like my old town," he said, watching her run his syrup filled plate under the running water and avoiding her eyes.

Sensing his reluctance to talk about his life back in North Carolina, Cammie turned her attention back to the plate, avoiding looking at him as well as she said, "Maybe you came to the wrong place."

She turned off the water once there were no more remnants of pancake or maple syrup on the plate and grabbed the small wash cloth to dry off her hands.

As he finally looked back up into those hauntingly blue eyes, he told her, "It's not all bad."

Smiling softly, she corrected, "It's not bad at all." She threw the towel back on the shelf above the sink then returned back at the breakfast bar. "You just got to find the right people."

Which reminded her of the good news she mentioned to him earlier. Even if he hadn't been as excited as she had hoped, she still grew excited thinking about how she had helped him find the perfect job within two weeks of moving to a new town.

"Like your new coworkers at the school," she added optimistically. "You know, I have a few friends that work there. Maybe you should come to dinner with us tomorrow night?"

With a shake of his head, he answered, "I can't intrude on your dinner."

"Come on, she'll help you with your interview next week!"

Refusing to let himself get caught up in everything, he declined as respectfully as he could. "I appreciate what you're doing for me, Cammie, but—"

"Zach," she interrupted, placing her hand on top of his to grab his attention and to reassure him that it was fine. Smiling, she told him, "Just come to dinner."

* * *

><p>Macey McHenry walked into the police station ready to start the investigative day. She loved her job as a detective, searching out the fine details that might not mean anything to normal civilians, but mean everything to a police investigation. She loved feeling as though with every detail, no matter how small, she was getting closer to discovering the truth. She loved knowing that at the end of every work day, she was one step closer to making Roseville safer for its residents.<p>

As she walked through the station on her way to her office, she heard the familiar voice of her favorite coworker (besides her partner, Grant, of course).

"Morning, Detective," Jonas Anderson said, sorting through the stack of papers and folders he had been carrying.

"Good morning, Anderson," she replied, continuing to walk past him.

"Someone called for you while you out," he told her, causing he to stop in her tracks and turn back around.

"Do you know who?"

He shrugged and said, "Some guy," knowing it would drive her crazy how vague he was purposefully being.

Growing impatient with his little game, Macey snapped, "Did you get his name?"

Looking up for the first time since Macey had entered the station, Jonas smiled and placed his papers down on the desk right next to him. Teasing her, he said, "Now, Macey. What makes you think I would get in your business like that?"

As she gave him a look, she argued, "Jonas, you're _always_ getting in my business."

Laughing and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he agreed and said, "Touché." He picked up his stack of papers and began shifting through them again before adding, "He said his name was Preston."

Macey's eyes lit up at the sound of her old childhood friend's name. Both their fathers were in politics, hers being his right hand man. When Preston and she were juniors in high school, their fathers were in the presidential election, forcing them to spend too much unwanted time together that resulted in a close friendship—one that they managed to keep intact until a few years ago when he joined the FBI and moved to the headquarters in Pennsylvania.

"My campaign buddy" she said, unable to hide the pleasure in her voice.

Glancing up at her, he smiled, ready to tease her. "You sure about that? You seem pretty excited for just a 'buddy'."

Cocking a hip and crossing her arms across her chest, Macey was ready to tease back. "Jealous, Jonas?"

The joke was a long ongoing one that started back when both Macey and he joined the police force after graduating high school and began as investigating partners. The head of the Roseville Police Station, Joe Solomon, mentioned once how they worked well together and made the perfect pair, which resulted in the whole station always making jokes and comments on them being in love. They both understood it was just a joke, especially since Jonas had mentioned a specific someone he had his eyes on, though he never did tell Macey who it was.

Even though they were no longer partners and she was now working closely with Grant, they were still good friends and they never let the joke die. They enjoyed the teasing it brought about between the two.

"I'm waiting me turn," he said, continuing with the act. "One day, you'll open your eyes and—"

"See some creep watching me?" Macey interrupted with a smile, putting the donuts down on the desk that Jonas had placed his papers on earlier.

"And you'll have new found respect for that creep," Jonas added, ignoring the negative connotation that was included.

Finally laughing, Macey shook her head and turned back to her route on her way to her office. "Get back to work, Anderson."

"I am working," he said before she went too far. Handing her a vanilla folder, he explained, "Your new case, Detective."

Sighing, she took it from him. "Thanks," she said without bothering to look at it just yet. Although she loved her job, getting new cases just reminded her that there were ruthless and corrupt people out there.

She continued to walk in the direction of her office as she called behind her, "I brought donuts, by the way."

"For me? You shouldn't have!" he shouted after her before she slammed her office door without a response.

* * *

><p>As Macey sat down at her desk, she threw the folder on top of it, deciding to make a phone call before she dealt with it. She dialed the number she memorized years ago and waited for the familiar voice to answer.<p>

"Winters," she heard the man say on the other end.

"Hey, Preston, it's Macey McHenry," she replied, trying to hide her anxiousness in her voice.

"Macey! You got my message, then?"

"I did," she smiled. "Was there a reason you called out of the blue?"

"Yeah, I'm actually visiting not too far from Roseville and I was wondering if you had time this weeked to catch up, like, over dinner or lunch or something?" he asked.

"Of course!" she said, hating herself for answering almost too quickly and sounding way more enthusiastic than he had. "Gosh, I haven't seen you in years."

"It's been a while, that's for sure," he agreed. Suddenly his tone had taken on a more serious note as he continued, "Listen, Mace, this wasn't just a social call."

Knowing there had to have been more to the story, Macey sighed. "It never is with law enforcers."

With an unfortunateness in his voice, Preston explained, "The FBI was contacted by the police department in North Carolina in regards to a criminal escaping the state borders and last seen crossing into Virginia. I just thought I'd give you some kind of heads up."

"Is this guy dangerous?" she asked, strangely calm about the whole thing. An escaped criminal is something most people worried about, but Macey was used to these types of things. Although she lived in the smallest town in Virginia, she was well-known around the country as the best investigative detective, so she dealt with bigger and more dangerous situations than those that occur in her hometown.

"From what it sounds like I would say so," he explained, no more worked up about it than she was.

"What did he do?" she asked even though she knew protocol wouldn't allow him to tell her.

Apparently he knew it too, since he started chuckling before he answered, "Macey, you know that information is classified. Even if I _did_ know, I wouldn't be allowed to share it with you."

"I know," she sighed. Realizing what Preston said was the reason for calling, she thought back to a small detail she couldn't believe she missed the first time. "Did you say North Carolina?"

"Yeah, why?" he asked, not understanding the significance to it. "Does it mean something to you?"

Suddenly, she felt her heart beat faster as her gut told her something wasn't right. "No," she lied, keeping her voice steady and calm. "I was just clarifying. I have to go, Preston. It's pretty busy over here. So, I'll just see you this weekend then."

Sensing there was something she wasn't telling him, Preston quickly tried to stop her from hanging up. "Macey, if you—"

Unfortunately for him, the line went dead before he could finish.

Macey ran her hand through her jet black hair, thinking about how back at the diner, Zach was a bit too fidgety for someone who was just wanting a change of scenery without anything to hide. She knew her gut was telling her something then, but she didn't want to believe it was anything serious. She should've known—her gut is never wrong.

Jonas knocked on her office door, but didn't wait for her to respond before opening it and stepping just inside the doorway. "Detective, Joe wants—. You okay?"

Worried, knowing she had to tell him and knowing what it was going to do to her best friend's heart, she reluctantly told him what was running through her mind. "I think we have to keep our eye on someone."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know this is SUPER long and I'm sorry about that. I had originally planned for these to be two different chapters, but the first one I decided didn't have enough drama or anything in it. So I combined them. Plus, I wanted Macey to be involved (:**

**Yes, Liz and Grant are brother and sister and that's not like the books at all…or like any of the other fanfics but I thought it would be a nice change…plus I had this story made up already so whoops.**

**So as you can tell, this story isn't entirely about Zach and Cammie's budding relationship. There is so much more going on, and if that's not what you were looking for, I'm sorry. But I like it lol**

**Shout out time!**

**Aquaheart71:** Thank you so much for your review (: I love hearing from all of you and it's comments like yours that make me feel inspired to keep going 3 I greatly appreciate it (:

**Soccerlover21:** I'm glad you love the shout outs lol I like giving them to you guys cause I feel like you all want a response or to know that I'm looking through them and not just ignoring them. And now you have one ! (: Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like this one too lol


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Cammie was in her living room, pacing back and forth while waiting for her guest to show up. He was supposed to have arrived five minutes earlier, but she was still waiting, causing her to worry even more.

Finally, she heard the knock she had been nervously waiting for. Opening the door, she tried not to show exactly how nervous she was by covering it up with a sweet smile and a gentle hello.

"Hey, you," she said, hoping the man standing on her porch didn't hear the waver in her voice that she regrettably allowed to come through.

Looking her up and down, Zach raised an eye brow and said, "Well, you don't look horrible," and added in a soft smile.

Her smile fell, no longer needing it to hide her nerves because they suddenly vanished. Instead, she gave him an unappreciative look as she replied, "You're not half bad, either."

Just as she expected, he didn't say anything back, but to her surprise, he did send a sexy smirk her way.

Ignoring the urge to roll her eyes, she grabbed her purse off the chair and walked out the front door. "Are you ready to go?"

He glanced towards the house next door, rubbing his hands together and taking in a deep breath. If it were anyone else, it may have looked like an act of concern, but knowing Zach, Cammie knew he was ready to take on the challenge.

At least she thought she knew him.

"I think so," he said, continuing to rub his hands together.

She put her hand on top of them to prevent him from continuing, and she realized that they were slightly sweaty. Maybe he _was_ actually nervous.

"Are you nervous?" she asked, giggling. "Don't worry, Zach. It's just dinner."

"I know. I don't know why I'm so anxious," he said with a slight chuckle.

Closing the door behind her, she turned to him and smiled. She found it quite adorable that he was worrying about meeting his potential coworkers, especially since he always seemed so in control of his emotions. As they walked down the front steps and continued to the driveway, she reassured him that he had nothing to worry about.

After a few steps of silence, she exclaimed, "Will you stop?" referring to his incessant hand-rubbing. "They're going to love you!"

"Who all is going to be there?" he asked, searching the driveway of Bex's house next door as they slowly approached it.

"Everyone," she answered, not caring that he didn't know who _everyone_ meant. Correcting herself, she added, "Except Macey. You remember her, right? The detective from yesterday morning?"

He nodded, wiping his hands off for the last time before returning them to his pockets. The slight shiver that had been running down his spine since he showed up at Cammie's door had disappeared and he could feel the clamminess of his hands dry up. Although he wasn't extremely nervous to begin with, he felt a little relief wash over him. Macey McHenry was the last person he wanted to have dinner with at the moment, and hearing that she wasn't going to be attending erased any uneasiness he felt throughout his body. The looks she had been giving him at the diner had made him uncomfortable, and he knew that she was weary of him the moment she glanced at Cammie after he explained he moved to this town for a change. If there was anything he could do to avoid her for the time being, he would do it all.

As they approached the front door, she noticed his sudden change in mood. She stopped his hand mid-stride as he reached for the doorbell. "Zach," she said softly and urging him to turn and look at her. "Smile," she told him, smiling herself.

Chuckling, he nodded, then resumed to ringing the doorbell. "I'll remember that."

The door flew open and Grant appeared in the doorway looking irritated. "Cam, teach your friend the differences between vanilla pudding and blancmange," he said, scrunching his face up as he continued to taste the disgusting gooeyness of the English dessert his fiancé claimed was 'just like vanilla pudding.'

"Nice to see you, too, Grant," Cammie said, stepping inside with Zach close behind.

Turning to the unfamiliar man who now stood in his house, Grant said, "You must be Zach. Nice to meet you."

Shaking the outstretched hand, Zach replied, "You, too, sir. Grant, right?"

Grant nodded. Then he motioned to the dark-skinned beauty who was setting the table inside the dining room off to the right of the door and said, "And this is my fiancé who doesn't know anything about America, Rebecca."

"Bex," she quickly corrected her soon-to-be husband who was still bitter about the dessert she had chosen to make for tonight's dinner. "Nice to finally meet you."

From the table, Anna turned around in her chair and offered him the seat next to her. "Come sit down, Zach."

From the other side of Anna, Tina piped up, announcing that dinner was just about to be served.

Although he was no longer nervous, Zach found himself giving himself a pep talk before making his way over to the table. As he sat down next to Anna, and as Cammie sat down next to him, he said his last words of encouragement—the same ones he always gave himself when something was on the line…

_Show time._

* * *

><p>Macey sat at the restaurant table, waiting nervously for the arrival of her visiting friend. The waitress came over and placed the basket of fried pickles in front of her, smiling shyly before walking away. The girl couldn't have been any older than sixteen, and it amazed Macey at how young they were allowing kids to start working these days. Especially as a waitress, where your living is basically based off of your tips, and from years of experience before deciding to join the police academy, Macey knew the reasons she got tipped so much. A girl as young as her waitress should not be introduced to that kind of world yet.<p>

Her thoughts were interrupted by a man sitting down across from her—the man who would soon enough confirm her fears.

"Look at you," Preston said, smiling. "Just as beautiful as ever."

He hadn't changed at all since the last time they were together, and Macey loved that being involved in the cruel side of the world hadn't altered his positive outlook on life. He was still the same sweet, caring, slightly dorky but incredibly hot Preston Winters.

But Macey was too anxious to even notice. "Thanks," she said without really registering exactly what he had said.

Picking up on the haziness in her voice, he asked her, "Is everything okay?"

Not wanting to discuss the reason for the uneasiness in her stomach just yet (mainly because she was too afraid that her reasons were correct), she vaguely explained, "I just keep thinking about what you told me yesterday."

He chuckled, amazed that someone as solid as Macey could be thrown off by a small notice such as that. "You're on the police force, Macey. You're not supposed to be worried about a little heads up."

"Will you just tell me everything you know?" she snapped at him, unenthused by his mocking of her.

He sighed, upset that this was coming from the strong woman he fell in love with years ago. He knew she had changed since they last spoke considering it had been three years ago and it was due to her new busy job as a detective, but he was hoping she hadn't changed too much. Apparently he was wrong.

"He's from this small town in North Carolina that most people in North Carolina haven't even heard of. He just got bailed out of jail and he was scheduled to have his first court date in a few weeks, but he left the town overnight. He was last seen crossing the border into Virginia about ten days ago," he rattled off everything he heard from the director of the FBI, who also happened to be his father—something else Macey wasn't aware of because of her lack of communication. His father took a break from politics earlier that year when he was asked to lead a small force task on the FBI. Why his father was chosen, Preston wasn't sure, but he never questioned it. He knew he would never be told the whole truth anyway.

"What about his appearance? Do you know what he looks like?" Macey asked, not even bothering to acknowledge his disappointment in her excessive questioning.

"Nope. Not a clue," he answered, growing slightly angry that this was who she was now. He remembered a time back when they were touring across the country during the presidential election their fathers had taken part in and she was up for any challenge, never threatened by anything he or anyone else said. Now it seemed as if that was reduced to just a memory of her.

To keep from saying anything offensive, he picked up a fried pickle and ate it, allowing the anger inside him to diminish with every bite before speaking again. "So, why did you move up our meeting to tonight? You don't have any other plans on a small town Friday night?"

"Well," she started, hesitantly. "I did, but there's no way I could go…"

"Go where?"

"My partner's house for dinner," she explained. "It's this thing we do like once a week, and so far I've missed the past two."

Something else that changed, Preston noted. Macey used to be all about friends and family, and now she was missing the only real time set aside for them. This definitely was not the Macey he knew, and he felt his heart drop when he realized that the girl of his dreams no longer existed in reality, and a dream is all she would ever be.

"How come?" he asked, a small part of him hoping that the reasons were honorable and that she was forced somehow to miss those dinners.

"Well, the last one was because I was busy with a new case," she said, causing an eye roll from the man across from her. Ignoring it, she continued, "And this time I was too worried about seeing Zach."

Although it stung to hear that last part, he managed to hide his emotions well, something he remembered she used to be amazing at as well. Without showing his jealousy, he asked her, teasingly, "Having some guy troubles, Detective?"

Rolling her eyes, she answered, "Hardly. He's this new guy in town who's made nice with my friend from high school and she's trying to help him get a job."

"What's wrong with that?" he asked, furrowing his brows together and taking another bite of the fried pickle. When she didn't answer him, he continued pressing for information. "What'd you say his name was?"

"Zachary Goode," she finally spoke, although it was very quietly and hesitantly. She knew this was it. This was why she called him and rescheduled their Saturday lunch for a Friday night dinner, to find out exactly what was about to come. "Why?"

"Goode," he said, repeating her and trying to remember where he had heard the name before. "That sounds so familiar."

Macey, although she hadn't moved much that night besides the uncomfortable shifting, froze. When law enforcement recognizes a name, it's not good.

"When did he arrive in town?" he asked, only fueling her worries.

"I don't know. About a week ago, maybe?"

He nodded, which she had no idea what it meant. She suddenly wished they had remained more in touch over the years, cause then she would know what the hell a head nod meant in Preston's world!

Finally he spoke. "Macey, I'm going to stay in town for a few days and check this guy out. Do you mind if I stay with you?"

"Why do you want to check him out?"

"You're obviously worried about him, so maybe there's more to this guy than just the new town local," he explained, trying too hard to sound normal about the situation, Macey noticed.

"I thought me being worried was silly," she said, challenging him to confess the truth, for she knew he was withholding something important.

Although he was elated that she still had some fire in her, he couldn't show it. He was too busy coming to the conclusion on why she had changed so much since they last spoke and realized that maybe it had only been in the past few days that this new worried Macey came alive.

She wasn't worried about the escaped criminal. She was worried about the new guy that had been getting close to her friends.

Because he was busy thinking, Macey continued to interrogate him (although it was barely an interrogation compared to what they both had probably encountered in their field of work).

"Why are you going to investigate Zach, Preston?" she pushed, seeing something in his eyes change.

Sighing, he replied, "I think he might be the guy the FBI was warned about."

* * *

><p>As Cammie and Zach walked back to her house after spending the night with all her friends, she couldn't help but feel like the whole night had gone too perfectly. Zach said all the right things, laughed at the right times, and from the approving looks her friends gave her as they were leaving, she didn't have to wonder whether or not he would get the job. He was, in one word, <em>perfect<em>.

"See, it wasn't that bad, was it?" she asked, wanting to see how it went from his perspective.

Chuckling, he answered, "You were right. I had nothing to worry about. Your friends are amazing."

"And they loved you," she pointed out.

They walked in silence, for he didn't want to have to agree or admit that he already knew such things. He picked up on tell-tale signs, such as the look Bex sent Cammie as they were leaving. It was nothing more than a glance, and if you didn't know what you were looking for, you would've missed it.

But he did know what he was looking for. So he saw it.

So, in order to avoid coming off as arrogant or conceited, something he only pretended to be when needed, he remained silent.

After a few moments of racking his brain, he finally asked, "What do you say we go do something?"

"Like what?" Cammie asked, laughing.

"Something fun," he answered. "Like dancing?"

Laughing again, she said, "Zach, you're nuts if you think I'm going dancing."

He grabbed her arm lightly, stopping her from advancing up her driveway. "Come on, Cammie. You look too beautiful for just dinner at your friend's house," he said, side smiling at her.

As his hand hung on to her at the elbow, she felt sparks shoot up her arm. Her knees buckled and her heart skipped a beat as his hand slid down her forearm and reached her hand, grasping it gently and intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Let me take you somewhere," He purred, continuing to smile that sexy smirk of his that made her stomach flutter. "I promise it'll be fun."

Hesitantly, she nodded her head, praying to God that he wasn't about to take her dancing.

About an hour later, Zach was opening the car door and offering his hand. Stunned at how noble he was being, Cammie gladly took it and let him help her down from his truck. Looking around, she recognized the park that they stood in, but she was surprised to see so many people there. Normally, the place wasn't so crowded, but that night there was hardly any room to maneuver through the couples and families sitting on the ground, facing a giant screen that was playing the trailer for the new Hunger Games movie that was coming out that following November.

"What is this?" she asked in awe, taking a step away from the car as if she was drawn to the scene before her.

"A movie in the park," Zach answered, grabbing a blanket from the backseat. "What do you think, Cam? Is it better than dancing?" He smirked.

Giggling, she answered, "_Much_ better than dancing. How did you know about this, Zach?"

Shrugging, he walked up behind her. "I have my ways," he whispered in her ear as he passed by her shoulder.

She remained standing there in the parking lot, on-looking a scene that resembled one of those romantic dates you see in romantic-comedy movies, unable to comprehend that this was actually happening. Ever since she was a little girl and had grown up watching those kinds of movies with her mom, she always daydreamed of finding a man like Matthew McConaughey in _How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days_ who was just so charming and romantic. However, the last guy who she believed to be her own personal knight in shining armor turned out to prove her wrong.

Zach noticed the sudden shift in her mood as she lagged behind instead of walking alongside him. Gently, he called to her, "Come on. It's about to start," offering her a tender smile.

As she approached him, he took her hand and led her to an open spot in the grass, careful not to disturb any peace Cammie had seem to settle in to. He laid out the blanket on the ground and he offered her to sit.

They both were comfortable—her head laid softly on his shoulder and her back leaned against his chest. "This is amazing," she said, looking up at the stars and feeling the night wind blow across her face. She couldn't believe she was actually allowing herself to enjoy such a romantic evening, especially with some guy she just met barely two weeks ago. But there she was, pressing her body up against Zach's and feeling his heart beat against her back. How his was so calm when hers was beating twice as fast, she'll never know.

She felt his fingers intertwine with hers, slowly at first as if he was testing to see if she would pull away, which she herself was shocked to see didn't happen. When he had her hand fully in his, she smiled, pleased. Looking up at him, she felt more at home in those few moments than she had the entire past two months.

His dark eyes looked down at her, his lips less than an inch away from her forehead. Seeing the easiness in her eyes, he felt a slight hint of guilt in the bottom of his stomach, but he quickly pushed it aside knowing how important this moment was for her. He knew that Cammie hadn't had feelings toward a man since Josh left, and the eagerness in her eyes as she looked up at him told him that she was starting to let herself feel something again.

And knowing that he was the reason for the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eyes made him like smiling himself. It was a beautiful smile, and he couldn't keep his heart from racing whenever she showed it to him.

The need to get her alone and finally do what he's been wanting to do since he first looked into her enchanting eyes became too strong. He had to tell her, and he had to do it soon.

Whispering into her ear, he asked her, "After the movie, what do you say we go back to your place?"

Although his breath felt warm across her face, a small shiver ran down her back when thinking about what those words meant. She knew she was finally ready to date again, but she didn't know if she would be able to give all of herself to someone so quick. Zach was amazing and sweet and he made her laugh and smile and feel something again, but was it enough? He wasn't asking her to test the waters, he was asking her to just dive in head first.

And even though the thought terrified her, she was more than willing to do it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Here it is finally ! I think I might have gotten everything figured out so sorry for the delay but hopefully it won't happen too often from here on out lol. **

**So what did you guys think ? Things are going to start getting heated and intense and hopefully more interesting so if it's kind of boring now, just wait ! I'm really excited to get started on writing the next chapters and I can't wait for you guys to read them (:**

**What do you guys think Zach did since Preston claimed he's a criminal ?! I'd love to hear all of your theories ! However, don't expect me to say which iones are right or wrong because I want it to be a surprise (: But just for fun let me know what you all think his big secret is lol**

**Shout out time !**

**Soccerlover21:** I'm so glad you're liking the story so far ! sometimes I have doubts that it feels like it's going nowhere, but that's only cause I write so much and I don't want it to be like the length of an actual novel's chapter… so it might be moving along slowly, but like I said, it's going to pick up ;)

**Anom: **I'd like to think that women in her situation would go back to school because everyone deserves a second chance to live the life they've dreamed of. I know if I were to take that path and find myself in a dead end job, I would go back to college and finally do what I've always wanted to. But unfortunately, the events that happen in this story do not lead to her going back to school. But who knows, maybe I'll rewrite the ending for her ? (: lol

**Guest:** Thank you ! sorry it took me forever ):

**Kayla:** thank you so much (:

**Guest:** aw thanks (: ! I really appreciate it !

**I really appreciate all of your guys' reviews ! They mean the world to me and they really make me want to keep writing and keep going with the story. So thank you for all of you who read and leave reviews (:**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Bear with me here, this chapter is over 5,000 words long… so sorry! If you have to read it in doses I completely understand ! I just wanted everything to fit in this one chapter and not have to break it up into two because I promised a more intense and dramatic chapter so here it is !**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

The following morning was unusual for Zach. He woke up in Cammie's bed with no Cammie around, but simply a note that told him she had to be at the diner early that morning and for him to help himself to whatever he needed. After feeling like an intruder for the first five minutes, he decided just to go back to his house and eat breakfast, locking Cammie's front door behind him as he left.

Halfway through the drive, he realized his jacket was still slung across the back of Cammie's blue living room chair. Although he didn't need it, he figured this was as good an excuse as any to go visit her at the diner. Even if he didn't have a reason, he probably would've ended up there anyway just to see her beautiful smiling face.

He cursed himself for having such strong feelings for her, knowing that if she ever found out what he's been hiding, not only would he be devastated, but Cammie would _never_ be able to trust anyone ever again. And this time it would be permanent.

After everything he's gone through and what he's been told, he still managed to screw up and do the one thing you were never supposed to do; get close to someone. Nothing good ever came of it. He knew from experience.

When he arrived at the diner, he could see through the large glass window that Cammie wasn't in the diner that morning. He walked in anyway, hoping she might've been in the kitchen in the back, but when he walked up to the counter in the same spot he always did, it was Liz's face who met his with a big friendly smile.

"Well, look who it is. Mr. Big Time Professor," she said smiling. Even though he hadn't actually been offered the job, it was apparent that Tina really approved of him and his qualifications as a teacher, so no one doubted the fact that he was going to become the newest teacher at Roseville High.

Chuckling, he told the small frail waitress good morning before looking around the diner in search for Cammie. "Hey, Liz, is Cammie here?"

"Nope, she doesn't work on Saturdays," she answered nonchalantly. Then she added, "At least not usually," knowing there have been times when Cammie was asked to come in and cover for another waitress that would be out that day.

"Oh," he answered, feeling slightly disappointed and very confused. Her note told him that she would be at the diner. If she wasn't there, then where was she?

"Have you checked Bex's house?" Liz offered as if she was reading his mind. "She goes there almost every morning."

Shaking his head, still wondering about why she claimed to be heading in to the diner when she was actually at her neighbor's house, he said, "No, I haven't. But I will. Thanks."

"Hey, Zach," Liz called out before he walked away. She had to tell him this before anything serious happened, since she could see in his face that he was already really into her. "Cammie just got out of a really serious relationship, and I don't think she's over it. Her heart still needs to heal before anything else happens, so whatever has been happening between you two, I would just forget about it, because she probably is already doubting it anyway." Liz knew that from the look on his face when he walked in here that something had happened between them the night before, and she also knew that her best friend was more than likely at Bex's house freaking out and claiming it was all a big mistake. No matter how much she liked Zach, and it was very obvious that she did, she still would've felt as though none of it should've ever happened. It was the way Cammie was, and Liz for one didn't want her to keep going through it.

Zach's face fell, almost as if he had known this all along but never wanted to believe it. Calmly, he told her, "Liz, I understand you're trying to protect her, but I'm not someone she needs to be protected from."

"She's still fragile, though, and you may end up hurting her without even trying to," Liz argued with her small voice.

"With all due respect, I'm still going through some problems of my own, and I think we can help each other," he offered even though it wasn't to the woman he should've been saying this to, but rather one of her best friends.

"She was engaged, Zach. Her fiancé called off the wedding about two months ago" Liz said, letting her best friend's darkest moment slip out as though it was nothing. But this was an important message for Zach to understand and he just wasn't listening. Cammie needed time, and she wasn't giving herself the appropriate amount of it needed. It was painfully ironic how just weeks before, the exact same day Zach walked into their lives, she was begging Cammie to move on from Josh, and although she still wanted that, she didn't want it like this. No one should ever use somebody else to help mend a broken heart, even if they think they're ready for a relationship, because in the end they always end up more broken than before.

Shocked, but not letting it show, he calmly replied, "I'm sorry to hear that, but she doesn't have to go through it alone. I can help—"

"You don't get it!" Liz snapped, frustrated that he was still trying to weasel his way into her best friend's heart. "She doesn't need you to help her! She needs you to give her time and space."

"I know what she's going through, and she needs someone who understands," he told her, mentally hitting himself because this was the way out he needed and he was refusing to take it. It almost scared him how willing he was to forget everything he'd learned and risk everything for Cammie, just a small town girl who was so normal, it hurt him to think about all the damage he could easily do. But he couldn't stop himself. He needed her, and he wasn't going to back down without a fight.

"How could you possibly understand how she feels?" Liz asked in disbelief.

"Because I lost someone, too!" Zach said, more irritated with himself than with Liz. He was admitting to making a huge mistake in the past as a way to let Liz let him make the same mistake again. He hated love. It never did him any good, and yet he always fought for it.

"I lost my wife," he added, almost solemnly.

Liz stared at him, feeling a mix of emotions. Shocked that he had a wife, embarrassed that she had said he couldn't possibly have known how Cammie felt, and sad that this sweet guy had to go through the grief that she was watching her best friend go through.

But most of all, she was scared.

Scared that this would change everything for Cammie and send her back into the dark place she was weeks before, because Liz knew that any little thing could have her spiraling back down, and this was a really huge thing. She didn't want to think about how this could affect Cammie, but she knew she had to tell her.

"Your wife?" she asked, pushing away the thoughts of Cammie and her soon-to-be downward depression thanks to the newest piece of information.

Nodding, he said sadly, "She died. Just recently actually."

The mixed emotions came back, except this time with more force. "I'm so sorry. If I had known—"

"That's my point, Liz," Zach told her, his voice calm again, "I don't seem like the kind of guy who just lost his wife, and that's because Cammie makes me feel like everything will be okay." Although he was talking about his heart healing from the tragic loss, a small little reminder in the back of his brain told him that nothing would be okay if he got as involved with Cammie as he did with Kate, but he didn't want to think about that so he pushed the little reminder aside and focused on the task at hand; making Liz trust him.

"No matter the tragedy, no matter how long ago," he started, knowing he was seconds from changing Liz's mind and making the biggest mistake of his life, "the right person can help you move on."

"I don't think she's ready to move on, Zach," Liz said sadly.

"I can wait."

She sighed, knowing that nothing she said was going to make him change his mind, and unfortunately, he sort of changed hers. He seemed genuine, and he really was a good guy. "If you hurt her like Josh did—"

"I won't," he interrupted, sounding so sure of himself, knowing it was all a lie.

"I'll make sure of it," she told him before walking away to take the order of the couple in the far corner. Plastering on a fake smile, she asked them, "What can I get for you two?"

The girl looked at Zach, who was still sitting at the breakfast bar. "Who is that?"

Taking a moment to quickly glance at the boy sitting across from the girl who Liz knew was the boyfriend, she asked, "You want a strange man?"

"We heard you guys arguing," the boy explained. "Is he new in town?"

Bored with the conversation, partially because she was still bitter towards the man they were talking about, she cocked her hip and said, "Yeah. He's the new teacher at the high school, too. Look, are you guys ready or—"

"Wait, _he's_ our new teacher?" the girl asked.

"Is that why he came here? Because we were in need of a teacher?" the boy asked, just as curiously as the girl.

"I don't know," Liz said, not caring either.

"It must be," the girl said, picking up her menu. "No one new ever comes to Roseville."

Glancing back at Zach, Liz wondered why _did_ he come to such a small town in the middle of nowhere? It wasn't like Roseville had any tourists attractions, and hardly anyone knew where Roseville was besides those living in it.

She turned back to the teens, trying to push the uneasy feeling in her stomach aside, praying her gut was wrong this time.

* * *

><p>The electricity that surged through the school that Monday morning was enough to wake Mia Robinson up for her first class. Everyone was talking about the new teacher and what they thought he would be like. She, on the other hand, along with her boyfriend, Luke Evans, already knew a little about the mystery guy since all three of them had been going to the diner every day for the past three weeks. The last time she saw him, he was arguing with her favorite waitress, Liz, about some girl they both knew. Mia figured it was the other waitress, Cammie, the one who used to be so happy and had this glow to her but then went a little crazy after her fiancé broke off the engagement and left town. The poor woman tried to cover it up with a fake smile, Mia noted as she watched her every day since to see if she was okay, but eventually it became too big a burden to pretend any longer and she sort of snapped, causing her to be more depressed than Mia was when Brooke and Paige quit <em>Dance Moms<em>.

While everyone gossiped about the new teacher, Mia turned to her boyfriend who sat in the desk behind her and asked, "Are you worried about the new guy, too?"

Luke shook his head. "We've had new teachers before, Mia. It's not like he's our first one."

"But you heard him and Liz arguing the other day," she whispered. "He seems a little sketchy, and if Liz doesn't like him, then you know something must be wrong."

Smiling and mocking her, he joked, "Aw, is my _Pretty Little Liars_ fanatic hoping for some drama this school year?"

She hit his shoulder, telling him his mockery was unappreciated. "I'm being serious here. We know nothing about this guy! Seth, please tell me I'm not alone on this one," she begged her friend that was sitting next to her impossible boyfriend.

Laughing, Seth Emerson replied, "Mia, you just gotta relax. He's a teacher! They have to go through background checks and safety shit like that before they're hired."

"And I hear he's _really_ cute," Mia's best friend, Payton Brenan, said while winking at her.

Involuntarily, Mia replied, "Well, that's true," without even thinking that Luke was sitting right there.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, offended that his girlfriend would admit to something like that in front of him. He wasn't the jealous type, so it didn't bother him that she thought Mr. Goode was cute, just offended she said it in front of him.

Before she had a chance to explain herself, which she didn't know how she was going to do anyway, the bell rang, signaling the start of the class period.

"Saved by the bell," Payton whispered to her as the two girls turned around in their desks to face the front.

As if on cue, the man from the diner walked in just as the bell was finishing up ringing. "Sorry I'm late. I had to take care of a few things," he explained as he put his stuff down on top of the big desk in the corner.

"_Really cute_ may just be the understatement of the century," Payton whispered to her friend. "Why didn't you tell me he was this gorgeous?"

Seth, who sat behind her, kicked the back of her chair and cleared his throat. They weren't officially dating, but everyone knew they belonged to each other. So when Payton talked about their teacher's good looks, he tried to put an end to it by letting her know he could hear her.

Clapping his hands together, getting ready for his school year to begin, Zach announced as he sat on the corner of his desk, "Hello, class. My name is Mr. Goode, and I'll be your new English teacher this year."

"This is going to be a good senior year," Payton whispered again, receiving another kick from Seth.

"How about we start with some introductions," Zach suggested, motioning to the girl in the first row. "How about—"

"Hey, Mr. Goode," Bex said as she walked in through the open door as if she owned the place.

"Ms. Baxter, can I help you with something?" Zach asked. Smiling as he teased her, he added, "You're not checking in on me already, are you Bex?"

Laughing, she answered, "Not this time. I actually have an announcement to make."

"Not this time?" he asked, still focused on the first part of her comment.

She winked at him, then turned to the rest of the class and announced, "I'm sorry to say that this season, the girls' softball team will be taking a break. Without Mr. Jones, we have no one to coach the team. Sorry girls."

"No softball?" Payton exclaimed, devastated by the news that her favorite sport would be canceled her last year at this stupid school.

"That's so unfair!" Mia exclaimed, just as upset as her friend.

"Ms. Baxter, why can't you do it?" Payton asked, hoping to get her favorite teacher to take over the job.

"I'm flattered, Payton, but I simply can't do it with the whole wedding—," Bex began to explain, sad to see the girls in the room devastated by her news.

"Maybe I could do it?" Zach offered, once again cursing himself for getting even _more_ involved in this small town.

Turning to Zach, Bex couldn't keep the shock off her face. "You?"

"Yeah, I played baseball in high school, and I dated a softball player so I know a few things," he said, almost ashamed at how easy lying had become to him.

"Mr. Goode, you're a life saver!" Mia exclaimed, not even letting Ms. Baxter have a chance to decide.

"Well, I guess that could work," she said hesitantly at first, then smiled in appreciation. "Thank you, Zach."

"Yeah, thanks, Mr. Goode," Payton practically purred, causing Seth to roll his eyes.

* * *

><p>A few weeks later, Liz walked up behind Cammie as she was cleaning the countertop for the fifth time that morning. "Guess who stopped by again," she said, startling her friend.<p>

"I don't think I really have to guess," Cammie exclaimed as she put the damp cloth in the sink. She had been avoiding Zach since Liz told her weeks ago that his wife had recently died. She talked to him about it, hoping he would make the discomfort in her stomach go away, but it only made it worse. He held his eye contact for only a few seconds before turning away, and all of his sentences seemed to trail off—something she knew from experience meant he was lying. Josh had done the same thing for the last few days of their relationship before ending it, so she knew Zach wasn't entirely ready for whatever was happening between them, which she wasn't so sure about herself after thinking it over with Bex the morning after their hookup.

"Cammie, if whatever there was between you and Zach is officially over, you _have_ to tell him. It's unfair to him to be chasing after you like this," Liz told her.

"I know, but I don't know what to do," Cammie whined. "I like him, but it's just too complicated."

Liz sighed, knowing it must've been hard for Cammie to handle a complicated relationship at this time in her life. She hoped that soon, her friend's life would fall into place and everything would be smooth sailing. She deserved it after everything she's been through.

Handing over some plates full of food, Liz said, "You have some tables to serve."

Cammie did as she was told and gave the customers their lunch before returning to her usual spot behind the counter just as Tina walked in.

"Hey, Cam, can I have a cup of coffee?" she asked, looking and feeling stressed and tired.

"Is everything okay?" Cammie asked as she poured her friend a cup like she wanted.

Sighing, Tina relied, "Yeah. Work is just getting so exhausting."

"You're a guidance counselor at a high school, of course it's exhausting," Cammie said, laughing.

"Only lately has it been this way," Tina said, taking the mug from Cammie's hands and sipping the hot liquid. "Can you believe that so many girls have come in to my office to talk about their feelings for Zach Goode?"

Cammie's gaze fell, although Tina didn't see it. She was too busy complaining about listening to the pathetic stories each girl has come to her with. "Every girl I've talked to the past few weeks claim they're in love with Mr. Goode. There was this one girl, Payton, who's _obsessed_. She's on the softball team that he's coaching and she's been spreading rumors about their budding romance. Nothing I say gets through to her," she finished with a scoff and an eye roll.

"Can't he lose his job over that?" Cammie asked.

Nodding, Tina said, "If she keeps it up, he'll be out of a job by next week."

"Tina, you have to warn him," Cammie told her. Even though they weren't on speaking terms, she still didn't want his life to be turned upside down thanks to an irrationally obsessed teenaged girl.

"Well, I can't seem to find him, and I know he comes here a lot," Tina said, insinuating that Cammie do the dirty work.

"When I'm not here," Cammie explained, refusing to seek him out and talk to him about something that's risking his job after not speaking since he had gotten it.

"Please, Cammie?" Tina begged. "Like you said, he needs to be warned!"

After being silent for a few minutes, Cammie finally sighed. "Fine. I'll tell him."

* * *

><p>"Alright girls, great job today! I'll see you all tomorrow," Zach called out to the softball team after practice was over.<p>

Walking up behind him, Cammie softly called out, "Mr. Goode?"

He turned around, expecting it to be someone from the school, but was pleasantly surprised to see Cammie standing there. Her hair was blowing around her face from the cold wind that had begun to take over the late autumn days, and her nose was turning red from the brisk air. But she was still as beautiful as ever.

"Cammie," he started, unsure of what to say exactly, for they hadn't talked since he told her about Kate. He knew she was taking it hard, but it didn't change the way he felt about her. He wished she could understand that. Maybe then she wouldn't have been avoiding him. "Hi," he said, feeling like an idiot.

"Hey," she said, smiling slightly. She had almost forgotten how enchanting his emerald eyes were, and how his presence always made the little butterflies in her stomach flutter around.

"What are you—"

"Mr. Goode?" he heard Payton call from behind him. "I was just wondering if I could stay a little longer and have help with my pitching."

"But, Payton, you play first base. Mia's our pitcher," he explained.

"But what if I get better at it?" she asked, pleading with her eyes. She was determined to become pitcher, knowing it would impress her coach. "What if I'm better than Mia? Then can I be pitcher?"

"Um, well, I guess we can work on it for a little while," he answered, causing a smile to break out across the young girl's face. "Why don't you go warm up? I'll be right over."

Feeling giddy that he was going to work with her one-on-one, she nodded and rushed over to the pitcher's mound.

Zach turned back to Cammie, smiling. "So, what brings you here?"

"I have something to tell you," she said, watching the girl walk away. Pointing to her, she asked, "_That's_ Payton?"

"Yeah, she's real eager to learn, isn't she?" he asked, unaware of the danger she had been putting him in.

"Not quite," Cammie told him. "Zach, there's something I have to tell you." She took a breath before telling him, knowing it was going to cause major distress for him. How do you tell a teenaged girl that having a crush on you, you being her teacher and coach, is unacceptable without making the whole thing embarrassing for her and potentially scarring? Cammie didn't want to put that pressure on him, but she knew she had to tell him. "Tina told me about Payton's…obsession…with you, and she's been telling people that you two are in a relationship. Zach, you can lose your job if she continues."

"Calm down, Cam," Zach told her, emotions remaining steady. "I'll handle it. I'll talk to her."

The look on Cammie's face relaxed. She was relieved that he wasn't so freaked out about the whole mess, feeling slightly embarrassed that she thought he would handle it any differently. He was never one to panic, or show much emotion to begin with.

"Hey, Cammie?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts. "Are you free tonight?"

"Tonight? Aren't you helping Payton?" she asked.

"That'll only take an hour. What do you say we go to dinner?" he asked, trying to keep his emotions in check while his brain dared to activate the fight-or-flight system.

Luckily, Cammie nodded and agreed to be ready by seven.

As she began to walk away, she turned back to him and said, "Oh, and Zach? Be gentle," in reference to dealing with Payton.

"Don't worry, Cammie. I'll take care of everything. I'll see you tonight," he said with a wink.

* * *

><p>Walking Macey to her office, Preston couldn't keep the smile off his face. He was finally reunited with the girl of his dreams, and she was finally back to her normal self. The only time she got worried was when Preston told her he was going to go do some more investigating on Zachary Goode. He still hadn't told her, or anyone for that matter, anything he found out about the guy in fear of her jumping to conclusions. A person's past doesn't really tell you anything about their current character, Preston learned through years of field work. However, more often than not, a person doesn't change. They just get better at hiding the bad things.<p>

"Tonight was great," Preston said, ignoring the fact that he was getting ready to leave to go spy on Zach again.

"Yeah, it really was," Macey said, smiling. "Sorry I had to be back at the station by six. It didn't give us a lot of time."

"Don't worry about it, Macey," Preston assured her. "I have somewhere I have to be anyway."

"Where?" she asked, confused. It wasn't like he had a real job here in Roseville, besides the unofficial investigation on Zach that she had asked him to perform. He wasn't planning on staying this long, so he never applied to join the police force in the small town, and he hadn't looked for a place of his own, so he'd been staying with Macey up until that point. So where did he have to go for other commitments?

Grabbing her hand, he purred, "Don't worry about it, Mace."

Finally realizing what his plans were, she asked, suspiciously, "You're going to check on Zach, aren't you?"

"Isn't that why you asked me to stay?" he asked.

"You asked to stay," she corrected him. "And you've already followed him around enough, haven't you? I mean, how many times have you been to that diner, Preston?"

Sighing, he said, "You're right. But, from all my sneaking around, I've heard things of him and one of his students. I figured I'd try to investigate it. You know, ask some questions."

Macey gave him a look, amazed at how ridiculous Preston was being. "You are _not_ serious."

"I am," he said, sounding unapologetic. "I'll see you at the house," he said, giving her cheek a quick peck before leaving the station.

Macey sighed, frustrated that he knew things about Zach that he refused to tell her, even though it was _her_ best friend that was at risk.

"What's wrong, Detective?" Jonas asked as he passed by. Teasingly with a smile on his face, he added, "Mr. Perfect obsessed with someone other than you?"

"He's been investigating Zach for weeks now," she replied, refusing to look at him, knowing he'd be able to sense her concerns if he looked into her eyes.

But he could tell she was worried without having to do so. After working with someone for years, you tend to pick up on their tell-tale signs, after all.

"Have you told Cammie yet?" he asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

She shook her head, ashamed of herself. Her best friend was in potential danger and she didn't have the heart to tell her. She was a horrible person.

"Preston says they haven't been in contact for a while, so I figured—"

"That she doesn't need to know?" Jonas finished for her, disputing her argument that was more to make her feel better than anything else. "Macey, she's one of your best friends, and if she's in potential danger, don't you think she needs to know?"

"I can't tell her," she finally admitted. "It'll break her heart."

"If you don't tell her, Macey…" he started, making her face him and finally look into his eyes. He was being dead serious and he needed her to know that this wasn't something to be taken lightly.

"…then I will."

* * *

><p>The car ride back to Zach's house after their amazing dinner was perfect for Cammie and him. Their hands were clasped together while he drove and every now and then he would sneak a peak over at her and smile at her beautiful profile. At a red light, Cammie had leaned over to kiss his cheek, making him blush and fall even harder for the amazingly perfect woman who sat beside him.<p>

Unfortunately, he was never able to truly enjoy precious moments such as those because every time he felt closer and closer to her, he had the bad feeling in the very bottom of his stomach remind him that it's not perfect. That he was only making things worse for the healing heart that he was slowly receiving from its hesitant owner.

When he pulled into his driveway, he opened the car door for his lovely date. As he walked up the driveway with her hanging off his arm, it was peacefully quiet. The crickets were chirping and the remaining lightning bugs that hadn't died off yet from the colder weather were sparkling around them.

"I had fun," Cammie said shyly.

"Me too," he smiled, unable to fight it.

When they reached the top of the driveway, Cammie stopped and looked up at him, staring into his amazing green eyes. "Thank you," she said softly.

Before he knew what he was doing, he slipped his hand around the back of her neck and gently pulled her toward him.

His lips had barely brushed hers when he heard someone from his front porch clear their throat.

Cammie jumped back and turned towards the cop who they had managed to miss while they were too interested in paying attention to each other.

"Macey?" she asked, confused on why the beautiful detective would be at Zach's house so late at night. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, have some unfortunate news," Macey told her, unable to look up.

Cammie felt Zach's hand tense in hers as Macey spoke.

"What's wrong?" Cammie asked, not sure who she was actually asking, for it seemed like both of them knew what was coming.

Suddenly, Macey's gaze fell on Zach. Her cheeks were glistening from a single tear streak on each one and her eyes were an even brighter blue than normal, suggesting she had been crying. Cammie's brain started going through reasons why Macey McHenry would be crying, for she wasn't one to normally to do so. The last time she had seen Macey shed a tear was at Anna's dad's funeral, and they had grown up with him acting as their own father. So to see her crying means it must be something _big_.

Finally she began to speak, still holding her gaze on Zach as if this was meant especially for him. His hand grew even stiffer in Cammie's as she tried to ignore it. But the truth was, paired with Macey's suspicious eyes as they watched the man who stood beside her, it frightened Cammie more than Macey's crying had. Whatever was coming next, it wasn't good.

And she was afraid Zach knew what it was.

When Macey spoke, her voice was stronger, but her eyes grew weaker. It hurt to say the words out loud, which is why her voice got caught on the last word.

"Payton Brenan is dead."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: phew ! that was long lol**

**So what did you all think ?! I know I said these next chapters will be more intense and interesting so I hope I delivered ! lol if anything is confusing to you guys, don't be afraid to ask ! I don't know if anything is hard to understand what is going on or if I'm doing a good job of explaining it enough to keep you guys wanting more. So just ask (:**

**Mia Robinson, Luke Evans, Seth Emerson, and Payton Brenan are all my own characters, and since I didn't really explain what they look like or their personalities or anything, just picture Selena Gomez, Josh Hutcherson, Alexander Ludwig, and Jacqueline Emerson as those characters cause that's how I picture them lol.**

**I think softball season is in the spring if I remember correctly, but I had momentarily forgotten that little detail when writing this the first time, so I just went with it.**

**What about that ending, though ?! What do you guys think happened to Payton ? And what do you think will happen next ?**

**Shout out time !**

**Soccerlover21:** did this coincide with what you thought would happen ? haha hopefully I surprised you a little bit cause that's what I'm going for with this whole story ;) and thank you for reviewing every chapter. I didn't realize that you did that until I was doing the shout outs and I found myself looking for your comment this time around and it made me smile knowing you like my story enough to keep commenting on it (:

**XxCandyygirlxX:** thanks (: did it pick up and start moving faster for you ? lol if not, hopefully it's still intense, dramatic, and interesting !

**Niki.R.P:** Thank you so much (: I try to make it like some of the books I love to read, besides the Gallagher series, because I'm obsessed with like mystery and crime solving so yeah. If you like this kind of story line, I suggest looking at Jodi Picoult. She's an amazing author and writes about this kind of stuff, besides _My Sister's Keeper_. Lol

**Tsanderson9:** Since you're hoping it's not Zach, I'm guessing this chapter sort of made you upset then, huh ? lol but I saw a movie not too long ago that I had that exact same feeling towards, where the main character is a suspect and all the signs point to him, but you _really_ don't want it to be him. Lol with this story, however, I can't say whether or not Zach is the bad guy. Sorry ): and thanks for your kind words ! they made me decide to post as soon as I could !


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"I'm so sorry about your friend, Mia," Grant told the crying girl who sat across the table from him. He and Macey had called all of Payton's friends into the police station the following morning so they could ask questions about the unfortunate girl whose body they had found the night before.

It had been almost twenty minutes since he had broken the news to Mia Robinson, the supposed best friend of the victim, and she hadn't stopped crying yet. Grant, never having the capability to be in the presence of a crying woman, panicked, looking at the one-way mirror that he knew his partner was currently standing behind and silently begging her to come save him.

Finally, Mia's crying started to slow, just barely, but enough to allow her to speak. "I don't understand. She was fine yesterday at school."

The door opened, and in walked Grant's saving grace, Macey, who must've received his pleading glance just moments before.

The uncomfortable cop looked up at the detective, asking her to take over the questioning. He had only told Mia that Payton was dead; not that she was murdered. He never got the chance considering Mia burst into tears almost immediately, and he didn't want to have to watch her cry for another twenty minutes after telling her the worst part about the unfortunate incident.

Macey looked back down at him before sitting in the chair next to Mia, lending her a comforting hand.

Sighing, reading the look in her partner's eyes, she told the girl, "Mia, this wasn't a natural cause. Last night, Payton Brenan was murdered, estimated at about 6:00 p.m. Do you know who she might've been with at that time?"

Mia, still shocked and upset, she shook her head. "Not that I know of," she answered, then began to cry harder.

Grant shifted in his seat, trying to think about anything but the sobbing young girl.

"Who would do that to her?" Mia cried, unable to comprehend who could possibly hurt her best friend. Everyone loved Payton. Even if she wasn't the nicest person, nobody ever had anything bad to say about her, except maybe the teachers since she often forgot homework and scored poorly on tests.

"That's why you're here," Grant said, hoping his tone of voice wasn't as impatient as he was feeling. "We were wondering if you could tell us if there was anyone who would want to hurt her."

"No, of course not," Mia said defensively. Even the disappointed teachers loved Payton. They may have hated her work ethic, but none of them hated her personally.

"There were rumors going around that Payton and Mr. Goode were romantically involved," Macey said, switching gears. "Is this true?"

"No," Mia said, looking at her hands. "Payton was interested in Seth Emerson. They weren't really official, but everyone knew they liked each other."

"This Seth kid," Grant started, trying to come up with any logical connection between the information Mia was giving and with the death of Payton, "do you think it's possible he was jealous of Payton and Mr. Goode's rumored relationship? Maybe even mad at Payton for having feelings for someone else?"

Feeling more than offended for her friend, Mia looked at the police officer like she was hurt he accused such a thing. "Never. He would never hurt Payton. He cared for her more than anyone, even if she liked another guy."

"Mia, do you believe that Payton was actually romantically involved with Mr. Goode?" Macey asked, rattling her brain for any explanation, as well. Nothing was making sense, although at this stage in the investigation, nothing usually did. However, Macey had an idea of what had happened, and she _really_ didn't want it to be true, so she was asking all the kinds of questions that would discredit her theory if given the right answer.

To her surprise, the young girl started to chuckle. It wasn't a full on laugh, more like a sad quiet scoff with the smallest hint of a smile on her face.

Mia couldn't believe these professional investigators thought Payton and Mr. Goode actually had something between them. No one in school even believed the ridiculous rumors! "No. She started that rumor the first day Mr. Goode was at school," she started, smiling at the memory of the conversation her and her best friend had that morning after leaving Mr. Goode's class. "I told her it was dumb, especially since she had Seth to think about, but she assured me it was just a joke. Nothing was going to come of it."

"Would you say Payton had an obsession with Mr. Goode?" Grant asked.

"I guess so," Mia answered. "She always managed to find ways to be alone with him."

"How so?" Macey asked, feeling as though this wasn't heading in the direction she was hoping for.

"Like last night, after softball practice," Mia offered an example. "She asked Mr. Goode to help her with her pitching even though she plays first base." After seeing the confused look on the cops' faces, she explained, "His high school girlfriend was a pitcher so she thought that was Mr. Goode's _type_."

"Did he help her?" Grant asked, glancing at Macey.

The look only lasted a second, but Macey could tell that he was coming to the same conclusion she had been fearing from the beginning.

Nodding, Mia replied, "Mr. Goode's a great coach. He's always willing to help anyone willing to get better."

Growing more worried, Macey asked, "Do you know what time the lesson would've ended?"

"Practice ended at five," Mia said, thinking through the process out loud. "So I would say around five-thirty or six."

Macey held her breath, looking at Grant quickly. She stood up and paced around the interrogation room with one hand on her hip and the other on her head, trying to think of ways Zach could be with the victim at the time of death and still not be the murderer.

"Thank you, Ms. Robinson," Grant said to the frightened high schooler. "We'll keep in touch if we need anything else."

As she was dismissed, she stood up hesitantly, trying to avoid the crazy officer who was mumbling to herself as she walked out.

The moment Mia was out the door, Macey turned to Grant with panic in her voice as she said, "Zach was with her when she died."

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Mace," he said, trying to calm her down while remaining calm himself. Although he had thought the same thing, he knew that in order to find out what _really_ happened, they had to keep an open mind. "Mia said it could've ended at five-thirty, _before_ Payton died."

"It's the only lead we have, Grant," Macey said, hating how desperate she sounded for the truth.

"But we know the guy," Grant argued. "We know Zach wouldn't do this."

"You just don't want to believe you let a murderer into your home," Macey snapped, continuing to pace.

"Would you?" Grant snapped back, standing up and facing his partner.

Macey stopped pacing and looked back at the man who always kept his cool in the interrogation room. It didn't matter that they were no longer questioning someone, she had never seen Grant snap while in that room. He always claimed that that was what dangerous criminals wanted you to do when asking them questions; to get emotion out of you. And the even crazier ones loved watching someone get heated and start yelling.

So, Grant never did anything besides hide his emotions and remain calm.

"Look, I just think we need to investigate more before we jump to conclusions," he explained, the harshness in his voice gone. "We can't just arrest the guy because one girl merely _suggested_ he was with the victim."

Macey, finally coming to her senses, nodded. She had to separate her personal and professional lives, because when the two mixed, instances like the panicking she had done moments before tend to happen, and she needed to stay focused as much as possible on solving the case without making outrageous assumptions.

"Yeah," she said as she sat down in one of the chairs, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Yeah, we'll investigate some more."

* * *

><p>"Mr. Emerson, I hear you and Payton were sort of a couple," Preston stated as he sat in Macey's living room with the teenaged boy. He had called Seth to question him about Payton Brenan, but not having a true interrogation room, he chose to do it in his temporary home. He knew Macey was going to want to talk to him, but she had decided to start with the best friend of the victim instead. Although he knew the protocol, he was surprised to see she didn't start with the most potential suspect, for everyone knows lovers are the first person police turn to when investigating a murder.<p>

Trying not to cry from the news he had just been given, Seth answered, "Sort of."

"Can you tell me about your relationship with her?" Preston asked, trying to sound as sympathetic as possible.

"We had been together for months, but never actually started dating," Seth began to explain. "It was evident that we were interested in each other. Maybe me more than her."

"What do you mean?" Preston asked, picking up a pencil and his smaller notebook.

"I only had eyes for Payton," Seth began to explain, solemnly. "She was my best friend. I was comfortable with her. Nothing meant more to me than she did. I thought I loved her."

"You thought?" Preston repeated.

"I'm eighteen," the boy answered as if that was enough of an explanation. Shrugging, he added, "What do I know about love?"

"So, you thought you loved Payton. What about her? Did she love you, too?"

Seth sighed, hating that he had to admit what he had been keeping from everyone, Luke and Mia included. He shook his head, answering, "I don't know. When it was just us, she was all over me, saying things like she wanted to be with me and she couldn't believe how lucky she was that I was into her." He looked down at the table between them, clenching his jaw in frustration. "But when we were around other people, she was totally different. She talked about other guys right in front of me."

"And that made you mad, didn't it? It hurt that someone could disregard your feelings like that, am I right?" Preston asked, hoping to get something useful out of the kid.

"It sung a bit," Seth said, looking up at Preston with his jaw still clenched.

"Come on, Seth," Preston urged him. "It hurt more than a little."

"Alright, it stung a lot. But I was sure she loved me, even if it was just barely," Seth explained.

Ignoring his comment, Preston continued to interrogate him, hitting him where it hurt. "It stung so much, actually, that you wanted her to hurt just as much as you did," he offered his theory.

"I didn't kill her, if that's what you're suggesting," Seth said, sounding stronger than when he had first started. This was good, Preston reasoned, since he could potentially pitch the short-tempered jealous boyfriend as the murderer to anyone at the D.A. office and get an arrest warrant the next day.

"No one else would have any reason to," Preston said, egging him on.

"I loved her!" Seth shouted, feeling the anger rise within him.

"You thought you did, remember?" Preston said, unphased by the boy's outburst. In fact, it was what he was hoping for. Seth was making his job even easier.

"I didn't even see her last night," Seth said, regaining his composure and slumping back into the chair. "I overheard her talking to Mia about spending the evening with Mr. Goode, so I didn't bother to make plans. I never even said goodbye."

Preston perked up at the sound of another potential suspect. "She was with Mr. Goode?"

"Yeah," Seth replied, bitterly. "I guess she was going to spend time with him after softball practice. I didn't believe the rumors of them until I overheard her and Mia talking."

Preston, still focused on the more important details concerning Payton's death, asked, "What time does practice end?"

"Um, around five," Seth answered, ignoring the weird look in Preston's eyes that told him the cop was detecting something suspicious.

"Would you guess that he was still with Payton at six?" Preston asked, feeling himself getting carried away with hope. Just because Seth _assumes_ that Zach Goode was with Payton at the time of her death doesn't actually mean he was. And even if he was there, it doesn't mean he killed her.

But none of that mattered to Preston. Macey had her suspicions of Zach, it was rumored that Liz had her suspicions of Zach, and Preston had a ton of his own, as well, considering bits and pieces of information he found out about the young handsome teacher. It wasn't much, just simple things like he grew up in Maine, but none of the facts seemed to tie together.

So, Preston didn't need mass amounts of evidence for him to believe that Zach was the murderer. He just knew that if he could put the slightest amount of doubt at the D.A.'s office, then Zach would be arrested for the murder of Payton Brenan.

Seth was silent, thinking about whether he should tell the cop. After all, they were in a living room that looked like it belonged to a female, and he had never seen the man around town before. He began to wonder if this guy was even really a cop, but he decided it'd be better to tell a cop impersonator than to withhold information and be labeled a bigger suspect.

"I know he was," he answered, trying to keep his emotions in check. "I stayed after school to see if it were true—that she actually would be spending time with him after practice. I saw Mr. Goode leave. I don't know at what time exactly, but he was alone. I didn't see Payton anywhere."

"Did you wait to see if maybe she just took a while longer?"

"Yeah, but not long," Seth explained. "I was staking out the front of the school in my car, and Officer Newman drove up and asked me to leave. So I did."

"But Payton never came out of the school?" Preston asked, making sure. When Seth shook his head, Preston knew he had to ask. "Seth, do you think that Mr. Goode—"

"What are you doing?!" Macey shouted from the doorway of her home. She couldn't believe what she was watching take place in her own living room.

"Macey, I'm kind of—"

"Busy?" she finished for the man that hadn't shown any sense of remorse or guilt for intruding on her investigation. "Not anymore. Mr. Emerson, you're free to go."

Without a word, the boy stood up, glancing from the angered woman to the man sitting across from him. Confused and feeling like he messed up somehow, he quickly left.

Macey watched him pass her as he made his way out the door, making sure he was completely gone before she made a scene. "What do you think you're doing?!" She yelled at the man in front of her.

"I was questioning a suspect," Preston answered nonchalantly, as if it wasn't a big deal that he was breaking the law.

"You're not even on this case, Preston!" Macey reminded him, furious that he was blind to the mess he just made. "You have no right to talk to suspects."

"I'm a cop, Macey," he said as if that was enough explanation. "It's in my blood to investigate."

"I can have you arrested for interfering with an investigation. You know that, right?" she asked, refusing to back down. Finding Payton's murderer was _her_ responsibility, and she'd be damned if anyone ruined her investigation.

"Macey, listen to me," Preston said, taking a step closer to the angered woman. Her face was stern and her eyes were shooting daggers in his direction, but he knew if she would just listen to him and hear what Seth had told him, then she would forget about him going behind her back.

"Preston, I can't believe you would interfere like this," she said, completely ignoring his plea for her to listen.

"You would've questioned him soon enough," Preston argued, knowing it was going to take a lot more than a single plea for her to quiet down. "I just sped up the process. I didn't ruin it. Now listen to me."

"What?" she snapped, not in the mood to actually listen to anything he had to say.

"I have a lead."

* * *

><p><strong>So there you have it. Chapter 6 is officially up ! I had it finished for a while, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to combine it with another chapter since this one isn't much, but the two together would've been like super long and I don't want to keep publishing 5,000+ word-long chapters. But I hope you all like it anyway (: There's not really any new information given to you as readers, since you already knew that Zach was with Payton after softball practice, but the officers and investigators had to find out. Plus now you can see them start to panic and actually piece information together against Zach.<strong>

**Shout out time!**

**Tsanderson9:** I love PLL ! I can't wait for the second part of season 5 to start ! And as for all the signs pointing towards Zach…well that's the point. Lol but that's all I can say on that subject.

**XxCandyygirlxX:** His past is very secretive and mysterious and (for lack of a better word) dark, so I'm actually kind of glad you thought he might've killed someone before coming to Roseville. It means I'm depicting his past well ;)

**Soccerlover21:** surprises are what this story is all about ! at least, that's what it's supposed to be about lol I'm not an official writer and I don't see myself as super creative so whether I'm doing a good job of surprising you as readers is questionable. Lol but thank you for your comment !

**I feel bad when guests leave reviews because I can't properly address them ):**

**Oh, and Happy New Year (:**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The following days of the investigation went by slowly. Grant and Macey barely had any real information to go off of and their forensic team was too disorganized for such a messy case. They weren't used to having to inspect a murder scene, a body, or any of the other information needed to find the person responsible for committing such an act.

Days soon turned into weeks and they still had no progress. Bex could see the frustration in her fiancé's face every night when he came home from work later and later. She knew this case was taking a toll on him, both physically and mentally. He was constantly tired and always pulling out his hair trying to make any sense of all the facts.

Watching him grow even more frustrated with each passing day only made Bex more worried. Grant was always busy wracking his brain, trying to put the pieces together and to come up with reasonable explanations instead of talking them through with her like he usually did, even though it was technically illegal. But they were a team. They always had been. This case started out the same as any; just a big jumbled mess that they were working through together. Now, though, he refused to tell her anything, causing him to work through it himself without her.

The silent nights were hard to handle, and Bex was losing sleep over how hard Grant was working himself and isolating himself from her. And it didn't help that she had to go to school every morning, running only on a few hours of rest and having to face the same man that had been giving Grant such a hard time—not that she truly believed Zach did it.

Needless to say, life was becoming harder to handle for her, and she wasn't in the mood for doing much anymore, including grading the tests she had given her students earlier that day as she sat at the breakfast counter in the diner.

Suddenly a cup of coffee appeared in front of her, steaming hot and full of caffeine. Just what she needed.

"Looks like there's a long night ahead of you," Cammie said, scooting the mug even closer to her tired-looking friend.

Bex nodded. "Remind me again why I became a teacher," she pleaded, rubbing her temples to calm the massive pounding in her skull.

Chuckling, Cammie answered, "Because you love it," like it was obvious.

"I'm not sure about that anymore," Bex replied, looking down at the mess of papers that laid in front of her.

Cammie followed her lead and scanned the tests, turning her head to get a better angle so she could read what were on them. "What are these? Tests?"

"Nearly eighty of them," Bex replied, nodding.

"And you have to grade them all?"

Taking a sip of the coffee her friend had made for her, Bex nodded again, but didn't say anything else.

"You know, there's an easy way to get rid of all this work," Cammie said, leaning on the counter as if she was about to share a secret.

Glancing up from the tests to look at her, Bex raised her eyebrows. "Enlighten me."

With her voice barely above a whisper, Cammie said, "Don't assign tests," then smiled.

Bex scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Cam. You're a big help."

"Come on, you _love_ teaching," Cammie reminded her while trying to suppress a laugh. "You love sharing your abundance of knowledge. You love being in charge of those little brats at the high school and ordering them around. And you're good at it." She finished with a small, but full laugh.

Bex joined her and gave her own little giggle. "Zach likes to call them window lickers," she added, remembering the time they were both forced to work bus duty and the teens on the bus were acting like a bunch of preschoolers.

Cammie laughed, picturing her mature boyfriend cracking the joke on the job, while the older man who was sitting next to Bex let out a very distinct scoff.

"Figures," the old geezer said with distaste. "A man like Zachary Goode doesn't have a humane bone in his body—murdering a little girl and calling the youth all idiots." He got up and stormed off when he locked eyes with Cammie as she shot daggers his way. If only looks could kill.

Once he was gone, Cammie sighed. "People think he did it, don't they?"

Bex, replying with her own sigh, nodded reluctantly.

"Including Grant?"

Bex looked up at her, hoping she didn't have to answer that.

She didn't. The look in her eyes and the silence was enough for Cammie. She looked away and mumbled, "Right."

"Do you?" Bex asked, raising her eyebrows. "Do you believe he did it?"

It was the one question Cammie had hoped no one would ever ask her. She _was_ his girlfriend, after all, so of course everyone was going to believe she thought he was innocent.

But that wasn't the case. She loved him, yes, and she knew he was a good person at heart, but that didn't mean she still didn't pray every night that he wasn't a murderer. That didn't mean she didn't have doubts. That didn't mean she full-heartedly believed he was innocent.

She looked at Bex, wondering how she was going to answer her friend's question when she couldn't even answer it when she asked it herself. "I want to say no—"

"Then say no," Bex told her. "There's not a sufficient amount of proof that he did it. He could still be innocent, Cam."

"People keep staring at me and whispering," Cammie explained, shaking her head. She couldn't get herself to admit that she sometimes wanted to join them. That she wanted to take the easy way out and blame Zach for it. "They think he hurt Payton and they hate me because I'm his girlfriend."

"Imagine how he feels," Bex told her, sounding even more intelligent with the British accent. "He's the suspect here, Cam, not you. Maybe what he needs is someone in his corner. Someone to believe in him."

Cammie knew Bex wasn't speaking as her best friend in that moment; she was speaking as a woman in love.

She knew that if Grant was the one accused of murder, Bex would be right by his side, ready to battle the world and defend her love's reputation. No matter what, Bex would always truly believe in Grant and know in her heart that he didn't do it.

And that's what Bex was advising Cammie to do.

"You think I should be that someone," Cammie asked, although it came out sounding more like a statement than a question.

"You said it yourself, you _are_ the girlfriend," Bex pointed out.

"And you're the one who let him into your home," Cammie pointed back. "You should want him to be innocent just as much as I do."

"I do, Cammie," Bex stated with a hint of harshness in her voice. "And so does Grant and Macey. We all want him to be innocent."

Bex had stuck by Cammie through thick and thin ever since seventh grade. Grant was there for her when Josh left, calling him up and cussing him out for breaking her heart, even though he was supposed to be Josh's best man at the wedding. Macey was the one who found her when she ran away after the wedding was canceled, and she had been her shoulder to cry on. They were her rocks when everything else seemed to come crashing down around them. How dare Cammie accuse them of not wanting him to be innocent.

Cammie wasn't thinking back to those moments when her friends were supporting her and fighting for her happiness, but rather thinking about how now, at this moment, they were trying to put an investigation together against the man she loved.

She leaned over the counter, closing in on Bex's face. "Then tell Grant to call off the investigation. To look into other suspects."

Out of the corner of her eye, Bex could see a group of students hovering around, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. She turned and looked at them, causing them to avert their eyes and pretend like they weren't listening. With a sigh, she shuffled her papers together and Cammie stood up straighter, both avoiding the teens' eyes.

"I'll see you later?" Bex asked as she grabbed her school bag and slung it over her shoulder. Cammie barely got in a nod before Bex left the diner without another word.

* * *

><p>Macey walked into the sparkling clean lab with Grant right behind her. She had called the forensics lab down in Richmond to help them with this case considering their forensics team wasn't exactly qualified for handling a murder.<p>

As both the police officers made their way through the big open lab room, Macey spotted the black-haired scientist walking around the observation deck toward them.

"Dr. Alvarez, thank you so much for taking a look at the victim," Macey said, extending her hand towards the shorter woman who she hadn't seen in years.

With a proud smile on her face, she took Macey's hand in her own and shook it gently, all while saying, "Not a problem, Macey. What are friends for?"

Smiling one last thanks, Macey guided her high school friend to her partner who had been standing behind her. "Eva, this is Officer Grant Newman. Grant, this is Dr. Eva Alvarez," she introduced them, followed by them shaking hands.

"You're a pathologist?" Grant asked the woman who stood no taller than 5'2'' and looked like a more simplified version of Macey with the black hair and bright blue eyes.

"A medical examiner, yes," Eva corrected him as nicely as possible.

"Have you got anything for us, Eva?" Macey asked, excited to be finally getting more information that would help move the case along. She hadn't heard anything in weeks and was starting to think that the murderer, whoever it was, was going to get away. And she couldn't live the rest of her life having to face Zach every day and not know for sure if he was truly innocent.

Sarcastically, Eva replied, "I've only been at it for hours." As she led her visitors over to the steps that lead to the observation deck where the victim's body was laying on a metal table, she began to list off all the things that she found. "Her left ring finger had some remodeling, suggesting she broke it years ago. Her shoulder joints were a mess, like she had a habit of swinging her arms repeatedly—common among tennis players."

"She played softball," Grant informed her as he headed to the other side of the table where Payton's lifeless body laid under a harsh white light that highlighted every detail so they could be seen more clearly.

Nodding, Eva said, "That would correspond to the history of fractured and broken bones in the left hand, since she would've been using it to catch. If she was right handed, of course."

Grant leaned over to Macey as he watched the doctor turn her back to them in order to grab the folder laying on the desk behind her. Quickly and quietly, he whispered, "She's good."

Irritated and ready for _real_ information that had to do with Payton's murder, she ignored him and asked Eva, "Did you find anything that would help us with this case? How about cause of death?"

"Seriously?" Eva asked, surprised by her question. Hadn't their forensics team looked at the body? It was obvious what the cause of death was. She rolled the victim's body over slightly so her back was visible to the two cops and pointed at the bullet hole in her left shoulder.

"She was shot in the back?" Macey asked, shocked that they hadn't been told before.

"Didn't your team tell you anything?" Eva asked, laying the body back down.

As Macey shook her head, Grant continued to investigate. It didn't matter why they hadn't been told the obvious cause of death before. They knew now and they could start piecing the scene together and figure out what happened that night. "Maybe she was running away?" he offered a scenario.

"There are also shards of metal in her hands," Eva explained, revealing the damaged hands. The scraps of metal had been lodged into her skin, causing it to swell and engulf the pieces even further. "I sent a sample to Dr. Lee earlier and she confirmed they belonged to a metal bat." Turning to Macey, she added, "Kim says hi, by the way."

She nodded, acknowledging the mention of another old high school friend, before returning to the task at hand. "Would it be the possible murder weapon?"

"Why would it be in her hands, though?" Grant asked, squashing her theory.

"Given it was in shards and they were embedded in her hands, I assume she was holding the bat when it imploded or broke," Eva offered. "According to the pictures of the crime scene you sent over, I would say it makes sense."

"Maybe it was shot?" Macey offered, adding on to Eva's plausible theory. "A bullet hit it and caused it to explode in Payton's hands."

"And then she ran away from her attacker, causing her to get shot in the back," Grant suggested, sounding less excited than Macey was to be finding out more information. The whole scenario was too grim for him. Payton was a good kid. She didn't deserve to die so young.

"Can we see the pictures and figure out where the attacker stood?" Macey asked, ignoring her partner's sudden fallen mood.

With a roguish smile, Eva answered, "I can do one better. Follow me."

All three of them went back down the short set of steps and over to one of the rooms that branched off from the main lab area with Eva in the lead. "This is Dr. Bauer's lab," she explained as they entered the smaller room full of computers and screens. "She's our forensic reconstructor. She gives faces to those victims too decomposed to identify. She's recently developed this innovation that can recreate scenarios with variables we plug into it."

"Just out of the prototype phase," a woman walking in behind them added. Flipping the machine's switch on, she smiled at Macey, showcasing her perfectly white teeth. "How you doing, Mace? I hear your investigative career has taken off."

"I'm becoming more known," Macey agreed without trying to sound too conceited. Her career had launched last spring, putting her name in every database around the country as one of the top investigators. She only got called out to different states when there was a larger crime committed, though, and the case was extremely complicated. "So, Courtney, this…thing…can show us what happened at the scene?" she asked, referring to the innovation that was coming to life as the system started up.

"I can show us what _would've_ happened with the variables we put into it," she corrected, clarifying that the machine didn't know exactly what happened, but it could demonstrate a possible scenario depending on what it was told. She began to push some buttons on a large pad-like device and soon enough a 3-D model of Gallagher's baseball diamond appeared before them, exactly how it was found when the police department showed up. The bat was broken and scattered about the grass, the mud had all sorts of shoe prints in it, and Payton's replicated body laid in the middle of it all.

"Based off of the angle the bullet entered Payton's back, the attacker would've been positioned over here," Courtney pointed to the holographic machine that sat at the home plate in front of the chain-link fence, "by the pitching machine."

Thinking out loud, Macey started, "So, Zach was having her practice batting when he pulls out his gun and shoots at Payton and kills her."

"Why is the pitching machine even out?" Courtney asked.

"Zach likes to bat after the girls are done with practice," Macey answered. "Everyone knows that."

"But why was he having her bat?" Courtney asked, specifying her original question. "Didn't your reports say he was supposed to helping her with her pitching?"

"The damage done from the bullet doesn't correspond to normal bullets wounds we've seen," Eva said, ignoring the small talk about a stupid pitching machine going on around her. "The bullet entered Ms. Brenan's back with a velocity much slower than it should've been from that distance."

"So, Zach was standing further away," Macey said, ignoring the glares she was getting from Grant. She knew how badly he didn't want Zach to be the murderer, but all evidence pointed to him, as much as she hated to admit it.

"The gate would've gotten in the way," Courtney argued. "The bullet was definitely shot from right there."

"Then it wasn't a gun that shot the bullet that killed Payton," Grant stated, completely baffled by how that was even possible.

"Then what was it?" Eva asked.

"The pitching machine," Macey said, as if she had a revelation and finally understood what happened.

After a moment of confused silence, Grant piped up with a "But—" before getting cut off.

"It makes sense. Watch," Courtney said as she started pushing more buttons on her pad. As she spoke, the scene played out in holograms in front of everyone. "The machine spits out a bullet that hits the bat, causing it to explode. The force from the hit spun Payton's body 180 degrees, which would make her back visible to the machine. After being swung around, her left shoulder would then be in the line of fire. See?"

They all watched as the holographic image of Payton was shot in the back, followed by her falling to the ground in a lifeless ball.

"The machine was empty when Anderson checked it. There must've been only two bullets," Macey offered, still stunned by what she saw.

"Someone expected it to turn out that way," Grant said solemnly. "Someone knew what they were doing."

"Zach's more dangerous than we thought," Macey agreed, even though Grant never mentioned the young man's name.

"We don't know if it was him, Macey," he warned her. He was tired of her using Zach's name as if he was already found guilty and they were certain he had committed the heinous crime. If she focused on Zach being the only suspect, she might lose sight of other potential ones and it could risk them finding out who truly did it.

"We have more information, if you'd like to hear it," Eva offered the two individuals who bickered like an old married couple.

"Please," Grant replied, annoyed with Macey's assumptions and hoping something Eva revealed would dispute them.

"There were skin cells found underneath her fingernails, indicating a struggle."

"But we just saw how the scene played out. There wasn't a need for a struggle," Grant explained, focusing on how there could've been a struggle when she voluntarily stood in front of the pitching machine.

Macey, who was focused on finally discovering the murderer, asked, "Who do the skin cells belong to?"

Without missing a beat, Eva answered, "Zachary Goode."

Macey turned to Grant, giving him a prideful look before realizing that meant their friend was becoming an even bigger suspect.

"Is there anything else?" Grant asked, practically pleading. "Anything that _doesn't_ point to Zach?"

"There is _one_ more thing," Eva said, glancing at Grant with a sympathetic look. "But you're not going to like it."

"What is it?"

"We've narrowed down the time of death," Courtney said as she turned her invention off and strolled over to them. "I'm sorry to say it, but your forensic team is pretty awful."

Slightly smiling, Macey said, "That's why I called the best."

"What's the new time of death?" Grant asked Eva, knowing he was going to regret it once he heard the answer.

Eva glanced at Courtney, knowing how the whole case was going to change with the new bit of information. She turned back to Grant and Macey and answered, "Between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m."

Grant, feeling as though he had been kicked in the gut, sat down in a nearby chair and placed his face in his hands. He couldn't believe this was happening.

"Which puts Zach at the scene of the crime at the time of death," Macey explained with a sigh. Although she was relieved to have finally come to a conclusion, it was bitter sweet knowing the man her best friend was in love with was going to be arrested for murder.

Quietly, Grant spoke into his hands the one detail he forgot to share with his partner about that night. "I was there, too."

The room had gone extremely silent, like they had been sucked into a vacuum in outer space.

Macey didn't know if she had heard him right, but she was almost too afraid to ask. "What did you say?"

Lifting his head out of his hand, he spoke louder, repeating the unfortunate fact. "I said I was at there, too, Macey. I was at the school that night. Seth Emerson was staking out the front of it and at 5:33 p.m. I pulled up and told him he was trespassing." Falling quieter and grimmer, his gaze fell to the floor as he added, "I could've walked to the back field and stopped Zach from killing Payton. I could've saved her."

"Grant," Macey said sternly as she marched over to him and knelt down. Looking straight into his eyes, she told him, "None of this is your fault. This is all Zach's doing. Keep your head in the game, Grant, or Zach will get away with it."

"No," Grant snapped, looking back at her. His eyes were hard and he refused to continue to feel sorry for himself knowing what happens when officers lose focus during an investigation. Any sorrow he was feeling moments before were now gone as he looked dead into Macey's eyes and swore to her and himself, "We're going to get him. He's going to pay."

* * *

><p><strong>So there you have it. The investigation is over and we all know Zach is going to be arrested… ):<strong>

**So there's a detail in here that, if you were paying close enough attention, you'll notice it doesn't quite add up with another detail mentioned in a previous chapter… that's on purpose and if it doesn't make sense to you now, it will later ;P**

**Shout out time !**

**MaximumRide126:** Zach is definitely hiding something, whether it's major or not kind of depends on the type of person you are, but for Cammie and the rest of Roseville, it's major lol

**XxCandyygirlxX:** aw well thanks (: I'm glad you get excited when I update, it makes writing all the more rewarding lol

**Guest:** your comment (whoever you are) has got to be my favorite comment I've ever gotten ! I love crime shows like Law and Order, and Bones, and Criminal Minds… they're all so interesting and that's what I want to do as a profession so it made me super happy to read your comment about the spooling of white blood cells and replacing them with someone else's DNA...so cool ! lol

**Guest:** I'm not a fan of happy endings either. I mean, they're great sometimes, but when every movie/book has one it's like…that's not real life. But thank you for your kind words haha (:

**Soccerlover21:** When I first wrote this story, I was seriously considering Grant (well, his original character who was named Will) to be involved…but he's not lol… or is he ? ;P

**Thank you to everyone who's been reading and following/favoriting and leaving reviews ! I appreciate all your support and I really hope you're enjoying my story. It's not perfect and I'm sure there are a ton of flaws in my story line, but thank you guys anyway for encouraging me to keep writing and showing your love ! I wouldn't be doing it without you guys (:**


End file.
